Flip Of A Coin
by Clairisant2000
Summary: When Mac's life is determined by the flip of a coin AJ goes to see what is going on and the truth of their love finally comes out.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Flip Of A Coin

AUTHOR: Clairisant

CLASSIFICATION: AJ/Mac

FEEDBACK: Would love to hear both good and bad feedback but please try to be kind and constructive. Clairisant

CREDITS: A special thank you to my beta readers Qupeydoll and Julie.

Chapter 1

Saturday, July 29, 2005

1400 EST

Mac's apartment

Georgetown, Virginia

Sarah Mackenzie was in front of her apartment washing her car. She sighed, sadly thinking that she would need to sell it when she moved to London with Harm and Mattie. She was going to miss the cherry-red Vette, but not half as much as she would miss the Corps. It was still hard to believe that after many long discussions about who would give up their career so they could be together, that they had finally left it up to a flip of a coin.

Anyway, since it was the weekend, she wouldn't have to deliver the news to General Creswell until Monday. So, for now, she would just concentrate on washing the Vette…maybe for the last time…'NO!' she wasn't going to think like that now. Mac was just about to begin rinsing the suds off the car when a familiar looking black Escalade pulled up.

Retired Admiral AJ Chegwidden got out of the vehicle looking fit and tanned in a casual polo shirt and black jeans. As he came towards her she smiled and said, "Good afternoon, Admiral. I didn't know you were back from your ballpark tour yet."

"I got in late last night and got a phone call this morning from Harriett Roberts with all the latest news. What is this nonsense she was telling me about you giving up the Marine Corps on the flip of a coin? The Marines are your life!"

"The Corps has been an important part of my life, but now that Harm and I are getting married, one of us had to give up our careers so we could be together."

"You're sure this is what you want to do?" he questioned finding it very hard to believe.

"Harm and I have been friends for a lot of years, while we're not madly in love with each other I do think we're well suited and should be able to make a marriage work. Plus he needs someone to help take care of Mattie," Mac answered.

"You're marrying him even though you don't love him?" AJ demanded incredulously. "I can't believe you would give up the Marines for a loveless marriage and as much as I like Mattie and respect Harm for his commitment to her, he can hire someone to take care of her!"

"Yes he could, but it wouldn't be someone she knows. It's already going to be tough on her moving to a different country, leaving her friends and school, on top of the accident and the mess with her father."

"Still Sarah, you're giving up a life you love to please a sixteen year old girl?"

"It's not just her, AJ. Harm knows about the endometriosis and even though he wants a son to carry on the family name, he's willing to marry me knowing how slim the chance of that ever happening is."

"My God, Sarah, if that's the only reason, you must know that there have to be dozens men out there willing to do the same without making you give up your career and move out of the country!"

Mac was becoming agitated by this time. Here was the man she'd been in love with for nearly a decade trying to convince her not to marry Harm by telling her there were other men out there for her when she only wanted him! "Well I don't see any of them beating down my door!" she snapped.

AJ stood there, wanting to tell her that there was one standing right in front of her, but her words made it clear that she didn't see him that way. Over the years he felt a pull between them a time or two, the most memorable had been when he'd almost kissed her in his bedroom the night of the party at his home. But nothing had come of it, he'd pulled back in time, before embarrassing himself by doing something rash, although she'd leaned into him not away, but it might have been his imagination. She had kissed him once, but it had been a brief peck in celebration of rescuing a kidnapped child. He knew she couldn't see him the way he would like, after all she'd asked him to give her away the last time she was engaged, casting him in a father's role and more recently she'd introduced him to her friend. Women didn't do that if they had any interest in the man themselves. Finally he realized she was waiting for some comment from him. "Then the men here are fools, but if you took the transfer to San Diego you'd meet a whole new group of…"

"Fools?" she interrupted him.

To be continued….


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I was going to say 'eligible men'," AJ retorted.

"I'm going to marry Harm, that's all there is to it," Mac insisted.

"I thought you always wanted the kind of marriage Bud and Harriett have! Why would you settle for a marriage without love?"

She just couldn't understand why he was persisting in this way. Why wouldn't he let it drop? It wasn't as if he cared! She was getting very upset with him, maybe that was why she let the truth slip out, "Because the man I love doesn't want me!"

Stunned, his heart dropped into his shoes. While he'd just been trying to talk her out of a loveless marriage there was still a glimmer of hope that someday she might consider him. But now to hear that there was someone she loved, he knew that could never be. Still he loved her enough to want her happiness even at the cost of his own, "What? Sarah, that's ridiculous! Any man would be a fool not to love you! Have you told him how you feel?"

"No! Of course not! A woman knows when a man is interested in her and there's no way I would embarrass us both by creating that kind of awkward situation."

"Really?! What's a bit of awkwardness or embarrassment against the possibility that he might return your feelings? I mean how do you really know he doesn't? I assume you're around him enough that you have to hide the way you feel about him?"

"Yes," she answered hesitant to reveal even that much.

"Does he have a clue how you feel about him?" AJ continued his interrogation.

Looking deeply into his eyes, she searched for her answer and after a moment, confidently told him, "No, he doesn't."

"So, if you're a good enough actress to keep your feelings for him a secret then, why couldn't the reverse be true?"

"Because I know him and I know he has no interest in me!" she retorted.

"Oh come on! Where is the brave Marine?! Why don't you go and tell him how you feel! Take the chance, what could it hurt?"

"I told you! I like and respect him too and if he doesn't return my feelings I could lose his friendship, which is all I have now!"

"Wouldn't knowing for sure be better than always wondering?" he goaded her. "And if he is stupid enough not to grasp the wonderful gift of your love with both hands, then you could still marry Harm and go off to London, that way you wouldn't have to face him."

"Why is this so important to you?" she demanded angrily.

"Because I want to see you happy!" he snapped, becoming quite agitated himself.

"Yeah, well you wouldn't be saying all this if you knew who it was!" Mac assured him with a glare.

"I just figured if it wasn't Harm you loved then it would have to be Webb, and although I think you're too good for him, what other reason would I have not to like it?"

"It isn't Clay!"

"Oh…Dalton is gone, so you wouldn't have to hide your feelings there, and since I don't think you've seen Farrow or Brumby in a while I'd say the same goes for them," AJ reasoned aloud, then after a pause he continued, "I guess it could be Gunny, with the differences in your ranks that could have been a problem in the past, but since he's working for the Company now that problem should be gone."

"It's not Gunny, or Farrow, or Mic."

"Who does that leave?" he muttered under his breath and then with wide eyes he asked, "Sturgis or Cresswell?"

She simply shook her head 'no', positive at that point that he would never guess himself. But then she saw the look of trepidation that quickly turned to horror and knew he knew. She died inside at the look on his face. Figuring out that she loved him horrified him! He was right, going to London so she would never have to face him again, suddenly was a very appealing prospect!

"Oh Sarah! I'm so sorry, I had no idea you felt that way! You do know that it's impossible don't you?"

"Yes!" she snapped. "That's why I didn't want to say anything!" She couldn't meet his eyes.

To be continued….


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

AJ stepped forward wanting to offer some kind of comfort to this amazing woman. He could see the distress on Sarah's face and could tell she was holding back tears. What could he say to make her feel any better? Maybe if he could assure her that it wasn't just her, but that no other woman would do for him either.

He'd felt her stiffen when he'd pulled her into his arms for a hug. She struggled to be free, trying her best to get away from him, but he held on firmly. "Sarah, you have to understand that it isn't because he doesn't find you attractive, but that he wouldn't look at ANY other woman."

'Why would AJ refer to himself in the third person this way?' she wondered, and then thought that maybe it was easier to make what he had to tell her impersonal. She had to know who this other woman was! Her rival for his love! "Other woman?"

"Yes, he took one look at Harriett and was lost."

Shocked Mac's heart bled for the man she loved. How had she not known? She had been aware that Harriett was always a favorite of his by the way he treated her, but she'd always thought those feelings extended to Bud too! How awful it must have been to watch the woman he loved live such a happy life with another man! Oh God, and then he even had to deliver her first child! How it must have nearly killed him when they named the baby after him!'

Mac stopped trying to pull out of his arms and instead fiercely hugged him back, "Oh AJ, I guess we're more alike than I thought. Both of us in love with someone we can't have!"

"Both of us? I was just talking about you!" AJ exclaimed pulling away a bit to look at her.

"No, you spoke of yourself in the third person…didn't you?"

"I was telling you that Bud loves Harriett."

"I know that! And Harriett loves Bud."

The two of them started at each other for a heartbeat and then spoke at the same time…

"And you love Bud," he said.

"And you love Harriett," she said.

"No I don't!" both insisted in unison.

"But you just said…" they started and trailed off.

Staring at each other in frustration at the misunderstandings, they traded glares until AJ demanded, "Sarah, if you love this guy go after him! He'll be the luckiest devil alive to have you!"

"I CAN'T!" she snapped.

"Damn it, Sarah! Do it!" he snarled, hating himself for telling her to go and confess her love to another man, but on the other hand, wanting her happy. With a slump to his shoulders, he turned away and started back towards the Escalade.

Mac stood there, rooted to the spot, watching him walk away. She knew that this would be the last chance she ever had to grasp at the dream of having him, but she just couldn't move. She was afraid! Where was the brave Marine AJ had talked about? He had even encouraged her to tell the man she loved of her feelings. Encouraged? Hell, he'd demanded that she tell him. What the hell, AJ was right. If it didn't work out she would be able to hide away from her shame in London. She was pretty sure that Harm wouldn't like being used as a back up plan, but there was really no need for him to ever know.

Racing after AJ, she grabbed his arm just as he got to the front of her Vette. Using more force than she intended, she spun him around to face her. Because her action was so quick, AJ didn't have time to conceal the devastating sadness lining his face. "Wait!" she commanded.

"What do you want, Sarah?" he asked finally able to school his features.

"You didn't tell me what to say to him!"

Closing his eyes at this new torture, he asked, "Haven't you ever told a man you loved him before?"

She waited until he looked at her again and then replied, "Not when it was this important."

Heaving a sigh, he said, "Just tell him straight out, Sarah," and turned away once again.

Taking a deep breath, she uttered loudly and clearly, "I love you, AJ Chegwidden."

To be continued….


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It took two steps to process what he'd just heard, and then he halted, frozen in place. AJ was sure this was just some new torture she'd devised. That, or she was just practicing on him. But then Mac said, "I love you, AJ and I have for ten years, four months, two weeks, four days, and three hours."

AJ turned slowly and looked into her eyes, he could see they were filled with fear and he realized that it was fear of rejection that he saw there. That would have convinced him if her accounting of the length of time she'd loved him hadn't. Sarah had always had an amazing time sense. With the length of time she'd mentioned he could only guess she meant one thing. Could she really have fallen in love with him at first sight? "The reception in the Rose Garden?" he asked.

"No, I was too distracted by Harm's reaction to my resemblance to his dead girl friend. It was the next Monday in your office," she told him softly.

"That's when I knew too. In the Rose Garden I admired how coolly you handled the situation and then I couldn't stop thinking about you all weekend. When you walked into the office that morning, I looked up and knew."

She couldn't possibly be hearing what she thought he was saying, but she had to know! "Knew what, AJ?" she asked as he slowly started walking towards her.

"That I was in love with you," he answered simply.

Stunned, she begged, "Will you pinch me? I think I'm dreaming!"

"I'd rather kiss you."

"Like you almost did nine years, seven months…"

"Shhhh," he interrupted her and at long last brought their lips together in a kiss that was long overdue.

Mac's gasp allowed his tongue to enter her mouth and begin to explore. As she recovered from the shock of his assault, Mac stepped in closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. Feeling her full participation in the kiss, AJ pulled her into his arms. Neither expected the kiss to get out of control, but they'd held their feelings in check for so long that now they were finally set free it was almost too much. Passions flared quickly and once they were both sure the other wasn't about to pull away, their hands began to roam rather than just hold on.

AJ's hands stroked slowly up and down her back, he wanted to place them on her shapely six and press her against his rising arousal, but didn't want to presume.

Mac's hands slid up his strong neck to caress his baldhead. She had wanted to do that ever since the day she'd first seen him run his hand over it in frustration at something Harm had done. She could feel his growing erection between them, and with a moan, she deliberately pressed herself against him.

He groaned and gave into his desire, with one hand on each of her denim-clad cheeks, he pulled her even closer.

Her knees were like jelly and she simply couldn't stand any longer. Knowing the Vette was right behind her, she collapsed back on to it, pulling him with her.

Startled by her action, AJ was caught off guard and stumbled forward. His knee hit the fender rather hard and gave out under him. He fell forward, knocking her back from her sitting position to a laying one on the hood of the car. Just barely able to keep himself from landing fully on top of her, he managed to stop himself with his hands braced on either side of her waist.

Through all this their lips never once parted. It was as if, now that they were free to kiss like this, they never wanted to stop. Lowering himself so he could brace on one elbow on top of her his free hand gently found its way under the hem of her top.

Not wanting him to have all the fun, she took her hands from his wide shoulders to grasp the bottom of his shirt and quickly pull it over his head. Their lips had to part for a moment so she could rid him of the shirt and as she tossed it to the ground he sighed, "Oh Sarah."

Their lips had just met again when a voice from the sidewalk said, "Yo man! Sweet ride! And the car's not bad either!"

To be continued….


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

They sprang apart as if they'd been doused by cold water, which in essence wouldn't have gotten any different reaction. AJ spun around to see a boy of about seventeen or eighteen eyeing them with appreciation and envy. When AJ glared at him, the kid grinned and said, "You know, you really should take it inside, this IS a family neighborhood after all!" With a cheeky wave he ambled away.

AJ turned back to look at Mac who was still sitting on the hood of the Vette, he was at a loss for what to say, but knew that it was his fault the situation had gotten so out of hand. "Sarah, I apologize, I shouldn't have allowed things to get so carried away!"

"AJ, it's all right! As long as you're not sorry it happened then everything is fine and I seem to remember that you had a little help in the 'getting carried away' department."

Holding out his hand to Mac he pulled her to her feet to give her a reassuring hug. "I'm not sorry in the least that we kissed. I just want you to know that I respect your reputation and that I am sorry we went so far in public."

"Thank you, AJ, but I care little for my reputation since we had just discovered that we loved each other. Please tell me that wasn't a dream!"

She should have suspected something when she saw the gleam appear in his eyes, but she was so caught up in the newness of their love that his action came without warning. "Ouch!" she exclaimed looking down at his hand that had just pinched her. "What was that for?" she demanded.

"Isn't that the prescribed remedy when one asks for confirmation that they weren't dreaming?" he questioned innocently.

"Oh!" she was totally at a loss as she stared into his face, which was alight with merriment. It was as if in an instant he had dropped twenty years. He looked almost boyish! Over the years she had seen some instances of his dry wit and there were times she was sure that she'd been the only one to 'get' his humor, but here he was, standing before her, grinning like a mischievous child, all she could do was laugh.

Within a heartbeat AJ joined her and they soon had to sit on the car to keep from falling over. For several minutes as each would begin to regain composure, they would look at the other, eyes would meet, and they would fall prey to another round of laughter. Finally both of them took gulping breaths of air at the same time and refusing to look at the other in the eye, they tried to talk about 'what next'. However, since they both asked the other that question at the same time, they were once again lost in the world of merriment.

Sides hurting, both put up a single hand in the hope that would be enough to beg the other to stop. Feeling like he had finally regained some control, AJ looked at her and said, "I think we need to talk."

"I agree. Would you come up to the apartment?" she asked tentatively.

"I think that would be best," he replied, getting up and turning to help her up too. Picking up his shirt from the ground where she had dropped it, he shook it out and put it back on.

Once in her apartment, Mac seemed nervous and unsure of what to do. The first thing to pop into her head was more of a distraction than anything else. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

AJ looked at her and understood her mood. They were in uncharted territory for them and she needed some sense of normalcy. "That sounds fine, Sarah. Whatever you're having will do."

"I could make coffee or I have ice tea in the fridge," she offered, sidestepping towards the kitchen.

"Tea is fine," he told her as she disappeared.

Wandering around the room he looked at all the knick-knacks she had sitting around. He noticed the lack of pictures and wondered about that. Pausing in his survey of the room, AJ wondered what would come of what happened outside. Surely she wasn't still thinking of marrying Harm now!

To be continued….


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Here you go!" Mac said brightly when she reentered the room and then almost dropped the glass that she tried to hand to AJ.

"Sarah, relax, I won't bite," he said gently as he took the glass from her and placed it on the coffee table. Reaching for her hand he led her over to the couch. "Please sit down, we need to talk."

"I know we do, but I don't have any idea where to start," she sighed, placing her glass next to his as she took a seat beside him.

"I guess there are a lot of different things to cover, but the most important, I think is that we love each other."

Mac looked at him with wonder dawning in her eyes. "I guess I still find that nearly impossible to believe." She gave a self-conscious giggle, "And you thought I loved Bud!"

"I seem to remember you indicating that I might have felt the same way about Harriett!" he protested.

"What a pair of home wreckers we would be!" she giggled again.

"Some how, I'm pretty sure that is one home that could never be wrecked."

"I think you're right. So…ummmm…now what?" she asked tentatively.

"Well, I think the first thing on the agenda is Harm."

"Harm? Why in the world…oh! You mean my being engaged to him?"

"Yes that would put a cramp in any plans we might want to make."

She got to her feet and paced back and forth in front of the couch. "AJ, I'm just so unsure of what you want or expect of me. If there is any chance I can have a future with you, then I want that with all my heart, but if that's not an option, then marriage to Harm is still what I told you before, an end to my loneliness."

"Can you really marry him when you love me?" he asked incredulously.

"Until I knew you loved me too, I didn't see any other choice."

"And now?"

"Now, I need to know if you see a future for us together."

"I've always dreamed of having a future with you, Sarah, but because of so many things it was always an unreachable dream."

"Other than our ranks and the fact that you were my CO, what was there?" she asked.

"Our age difference for one. You're only two years older than my daughter."

"Believe me, AJ, I've never looked on you as a father figure! Our ages have never been an issue with me. Was there anything else?"

"Well, I was pretty sure you had no interest in me at all when you introduced me to Meredith."

"That was a complete misunderstanding! I had no intention at all of fixing you up with her! You had assumed that because the others had been trying. Why would I have done something like that when I loved you myself?"

With a light chuckle, he answered, "At the time I had no idea about your feelings."

"No, it seems we were both very good at hiding those."

"Sarah, would you consider a future with me?"

"What kind of future, AJ? I know this is all still so new and fresh, but I'm at a crossroads in my life and I need to evaluate my choices carefully."

Taking a moment to consider how he wanted to proceed, AJ captured her hand and said, "I would be blessed beyond all measure if you would even consider marrying me. If you wish to remain in the Corps, and I think you should, I would also suggest that you take the transfer to San Diego. It would be wonderful for your career and if we were married, or even if you just wanted me with you, I could close, or lease, the house here in case we'd ever come back to the area, or even sell it."

"You'd give up your home to be with me?" she gasped.

"No Sarah. Home is where your heart is, so that means my home is anywhere you are."

"Then my answer is yes!"

"Yes?"

"You did ask me to be your wife, didn't you?" All of a sudden she was unsure of herself again.

To be continued….


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Joy lit AJ's face as he lifted Mac into the air and spun her around the room. The kiss he gave her left no room in her mind for doubts. AJ did want her! He did love her! And he had proposed!

As the kiss broke on a happy sigh, he pulled back just enough to reluctantly bring up a touchy subject, "There's just one problem, Sarah."

"What?" she asked bemusedly. AJ loved her, what problem could there be?

"At the moment you have one too many fiancés for my comfort level," he told her gently.

"Oh Lord…Harm!"

"Yes."

"I'll have to tell him."

"Yes."

"He's not going to be happy."

"No."

"What can I say to him?" she fretted.

"The truth is always best. Does he know you love me?"

"No, he knows that there's someone and that there are reasons I couldn't be with that someone, but he doesn't know it's you."

"Then you need to tell him."

"Oh AJ, I couldn't! It would hurt him."

"Don't you think he'll know when we get married?"

"He might just think I made the same arrangement with you, but was able to keep my career too," she speculated.

"Is it fair to let him think that? Sarah, you said that he has been your best friend for years. As such, doesn't he deserve to know the truth? That you're choosing me because you love me, not just because with me, you could keep your career, when with him you couldn't?"

"How did you get to be so wise?"

"With age comes wisdom, plus I know that in his place I would want your happiness above all else. 

"And yet when you arrived today, you were furious that I was going to marry Harm and leave the Corps."

"If marrying him would make you happy I would have found a way to be glad for you, but I know you Sarah, and I know how much being a Marine means to you. If I'd learned that the coin toss had gone the other way and that you would be going to San Diego, I would never have come."

A gentle smile graced her face and she softly told him, "Then I've never been so glad to lose a coin toss in my life, AJ."

"So you'll talk to Harm soon?"

"Yes."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No AJ, I know you're only concerned about me, but he deserves to hear this from me and if he needs to rant and rave, he deserves privacy for that. I'll be the one hurting him and if he feels like tearing into me I don't want you to think less of him for that."

"It seems you are wise too, my beautiful Sarah. When will you tell him?"

"We have a…date tonight."

"Oh…I see…"

"AJ, that was before…"

Placing a finger over her lips to stop her explanation he said, "Of course it was. Will you come out to the house when your…date is over?"

"It's just a meeting now, AJ. In fact when he comes to pick me up, I'll just tell him right here, then we won't even have to leave the apartment."

"Yes, privacy is better than a public restaurant for something like this."

"I agree," Mac sighed, hating the thought of hurting Harm. She knew he loved her in his own way, even if it wasn't the deep abiding passion of a one true love, but they had been so close all these years that she knew this would likely end their friendship as well as their engagement.

"Sarah, are you sure you want to do this alone?"

"Want? No, but I need to, AJ. However, as soon as it's done I will come to McLean."

"Alright, my love, will you plan on staying the rest of the weekend?" he asked with a tender smile.

"Oh," she gasped softly and then eagerly nodded.

They shared several more kisses, but when passions again began to get out of hand, AJ reluctantly pulled back. "If we keep this up Harm will find out his engagement is off the same way I did Sarah, and I wouldn't want to do that to anyone."

Wincing, Mac nodded and slowly stepped out of his arms. "Well I'd like to get a shower and change clothes before he gets here, so this might be a good time to say good-bye."

"Yes, but the drive home just got harder since now I'll be picturing you in the shower."

"Well if you're very good I might just let you see it for real some time this weekend."

With a brief but heated kiss on her lips, he said, "I'll hold you to that."

She pressed her fingers to her lips as he walked out the door, just barely able to whisper, "You do that," before he left.

To be continued….


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

AJ was halfway home before he remembered that after being away for six months there was no fresh food in the house. Stopping at his favorite market he quickly made his way up and down the isles, picking up the usual things he purchased for himself and concentrating on what he would make Sarah and himself for dinner that night. It needed to be something special, this was their night. Their very special night.

Inwardly he trembled as he thought that at long last all his dreams were going to come true. Sarah had said she would marry him! They would spend the rest of their days together. He knew that she'd always wanted children and that was something he wanted to talk to her about. If she wanted, he was open to the idea of children, even with his age, he was fit and active, there was a good chance he would be around to help her raise them, and he could just picture her with a baby at her breast. Well, maybe not actually, since he'd not yet seen her breasts, but after tonight he hoped to remedy that! With a chuckle he quickly finished his shopping and headed home.

Mac stepped out of the shower and after drying off stood in front of her closet wondering what to wear. She wasn't dressing for Harm tonight; her mind could hardly focus on that meeting. No, her thoughts were on the night ahead with AJ. They were engaged! Well, as soon as she could let Harm know their arrangement was off, and AJ had asked her to stay the weekend, surely that meant he wanted to make love to her! She shivered at the thought. But if she didn't hurry and get dressed she'd still be naked when Harm got there and that would never do.

Choosing a sexy red wrap-around dress she laid it on the bed as she went to the dresser to select her undergarments. A red silk thong and matching garter belt were the first things she pulled out, and then a pair of shimmering silvery stockings were added to the pile. Sitting on the bed, she slid the stockings on, they always made her feel so sensuous, panty hose just couldn't compare. Her feet slid into strappy sandals with three inch heels that she knew she could get away with because of AJ's height. Even though Harm was an inch taller than AJ these heels would still only bring her eyes level with his nose! The dress went on last and she stared at the total effect in her full-length mirror.

WOW! She looked great even to her own eyes. Praying AJ would feel the same; she quickly packed a bag and got a clean uniform out of the closet. As soon as Harm was gone, she was ready to leave for McLean.

She was surprised when the doorbell rang. Harm was only five minutes late not his normal fifteen, maybe he sensed something was up? But how could he? No, there was no way he know she was just being paranoid. However as she went to the door, she wished she had spent a little more time considering what she was going to say to him.

His eyes lit up as he took in her appearance as she opened the door. He knew a woman dressed for seduction when he saw one and Mac had all the signs! Tonight was going to be even better than he'd thought! "Wow Mac, you look great! All this for me?" he inquired happily.

Startled she answered truthfully without thinking how it would sound or make him feel, "Actually no it's not."

"Huh?" he grunted stumped.

"I'm sorry, Harm, I could have put that better."

"Care to explain Ninja-girl?"

"Yes, I have a lot of explaining to do and I'm afraid you're not going to like it much. Come in and sit down. Do you want something to drink?"

"I have a feeling I'm going to need something stronger than you keep around here."

With a wry grin, she nodded, that was probably true. "In that case, I guess I should just get right to it. Harm, you know you're my best friend and that I care about you in my own way, but you also know there's been someone unattainable in my heart for a long time."

To be continued….


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Yeah, and I have my ideas who it is, but why bring this up now…" there was a pause before Harm continued, "Unless this person is suddenly 'attainable' now?"

Mac hung her head to avoid the hurt look in his eyes. She had to get this out and she wasn't sure she could if she was looking at him. "He heard about our engagement and came by this afternoon. We argued and it came out that he's had feelings for me too. I'm sorry Harm, but I have to follow my heart on this."

"If he's had feelings for you, why didn't you get together when he came back into your life years ago?"

"Came back into my life?" she was totally confused. When had AJ come back into her life? When had he left it?

"We are talking about Farrow, aren't we?"

"Oh!" now she understood. "No, Harm it's not John."

"Not? Then who?!" he demanded.

"AJ."

"AJ? Who the hell…wait a minute! CHEGWIDDEN?!" Harm gasped.

"Yes," she offered quietly.

"Well, I'll be damned! When? How?…Why?"

"Harm, none of that is really important. I just want you to understand that I wouldn't be breaking our arrangement unless it was for something vitally important in my life."

"Is he going to marry you?"

"He asked me and I said yes, but I knew I had to talk to you first."

"Is that why you're all dolled up? You're going to see him as soon as you dump me?"

"Harm! It's not like that at all!"

"Oh? Really? So you aren't heading out to his place as soon as you shove me out of the door?"

"Stop it!" she pleaded. "I didn't expect that you would be overjoyed by this. I know you care for me and I didn't want to hurt you, but at least I hoped you might find it in your heart to be happy that I have the chance to be with someone I love! I would rejoice with you Harm. If you found your soul mate I would do everything in my power to see that the two of you could be together."

"How do you know you're not my soul mate Mac?"

"Because, we would have been married with a house full of kids by now if I were. We've known each other nine years Harm. Do you really think that we wouldn't have known before this that we were soul mates?"

"But what if you're mine?"

"Oh! That's just it Harm, I can't be your soul mate without you being mine too. That's the way it works. The two people involved have to be each other's soul mates or it just isn't real. You will find her someday Harm, I know you will. Who could resist you in dress whites and gold wings?"

"You obviously!" he muttered disgruntledly. "Or is it that you just prefer the extra stripes and a trident!?"

"I should be upset with you over that remark, but there are two reasons why I'm not."

"Oh?"

"One is that I know you're hurting and don't really mean it and the other is that AJ and I only found each other after he no longer wears a uniform, stripes or trident aside."

"He still has them I'm sure," he grumbled.

"I'm sure he does, but that's not the point here. Do you want to hear the real point, or is your mind totally closed to every thing I have to say now?"

"Try me."

"Okay. AJ came to me not so upset about our engagement, but about me giving up the Marines. He learned from Harriett that it was decided by a flip of a coin and was appalled I could do that. Then later when I told him that there was someone I loved above all else, he told me to go to him and tell him. Even though I later found out he loved me, there he was, encouraging me to follow my heart even if it led me to someone else! The short of it is that I told him it was him. His response was to fulfill my every dream in one fell swoop. He begged me to stay in the Marines, to take the transfer to San Diego, and…"

Harm interrupted her, "I thought he wanted to marry you!"

To be continued….


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"He does, he's moving to San Diego with me," Mac answered simply.

Harm was quiet for a time, thinking over what she had just told him and he had to admit to himself that if the coin toss had gone the other way he would have tried to get out of it. He had given up the Navy at one point for her and it had turned out badly even though he'd saved her life and got Mattie out of the deal, but all in all, he was very glad Chegwidden had taken him back when he did. He didn't know if he could give it all up again. But here was Chegwidden ready to give up his home to follow her to San Diego. Oh sure, he didn't have a career to give up these days, but Harm wondered that if all Mac said was true, then would he have given that up for her too?

Come to think of it, Chegwidden had never given any of the staff a reason for his sudden retirement six months ago. Could Mac have been the reason? If so, why had he gone off with his daughter? But then, as soon as he'd found out Mac was engaged, he'd hot-footed it over here. Maybe the six months with his daughter was just for the sake of appearances, so it wouldn't look like they had been involved before he retired. Sure Mac thought it was just because she was giving up the Marines that he'd been upset, and that might have been the reason Chegwidden had given her, but Harm knew men thought differently. Surely AJ had an ulterior motive.

Harm had been quiet so long Mac was beginning to worry what was going on in his head. "Harm?"

"I guess if he's really what you want Mac, then nothing I can say or do will stop you, but have you considered all the drawbacks?"

Doubting there was anything he could come up with, she still asked, "What drawbacks?"

"His age for one, Francesca has to be close to your age!"

"She's two years younger than I am, what does that matter?"

"I wasn't talking about her age, but about his. Are you sure he's not too old to give you what you want?"

"And what is it you think I want?" Mac demanded.

"Children, and a healthy sex life."

"Harm, I told you about the endometriosis. If AJ and I are childless, it will more likely be my fault not his, and as for a healthy sex life, thanks for your concern, but I don't foresee that being a problem."

"Oh, so the two of you have already been together?" he wanted to know.

"That's none of your business Harm, but if you like I'll be happy to pass along your concerns to AJ."

Wondering if she really would and what the outcome of that particular conversation might be, he was quick to assure her, "I don't really think that's necessary Mac."

"Alright Harm. Now if there isn't anything else that you'd like to say I do have someone waiting for me."

"I knew it!"

"Yes, Harm, that's what makes you a top-notch investigative lawyer. I do hope that you and Mattie will do well in London and I know one day you'll find your soul mate too," she told him as she went to the apartment door and opened it, clearly waiting for him to leave.

"Sure Mac, whatever, I just hope you don't come to regret this change."

"I won't," she said as she closed the door behind him. Grabbing her bag, uniform, and purse, she was ready to head out the door just three minutes later.

When she thought about it later Mac realized how odd it was, but during the entire forty-five minute drive to AJ's house she was filled with excitement and anticipation, never once did she think about how she would act when she arrived. Not until she stood at his front door about to knock did it occur just how unusual the situation was. Here they were, co-workers and dare she think friends, for all these years, but now there was a new element added in. What should she say when he opened the door? And she'd better think quick because even though she hadn't knocked or rang the bell she could hear Dammit announcing her arrival, followed by footsteps approaching the door.

To be continued….


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Mac stood there with her hand almost to the bell when the door opened and they stood face to face. "Hello Sarah, you look lovely tonight, won't you come in?"

Taking his outstretched hand, she followed him into the house saying, "Can you believe that I'm nervous?"

"About what, Darlin'?" he asked tenderly, as he allowed his eyes to caress her now that she was in the lighted room.

Mac looked around and saw candles everywhere, there was soft music on the stereo and the table was romantically set for two. "All this is beautiful, I can't believe you did it all for me."

"Why Sarah? I told you that I believed you deserve the best life has to offer and while I don't consider myself the best, I do know that no one else could ever love you as much as I do. I swear I will devote the rest of my days to making you the happiest woman alive."

That was all she needed to hear, going into his arms she sighed, "All I need for that is your love, AJ."

"You have that and more, my darling!" Gently drawing her closer, he kissed her sweetly and slowly.

When the kiss ended he led her to the dining room table and held out a chair for her, "I hope you're hungry."

Still in the pleasant haze of his kiss, she answered, "I am, but we should probably eat first since you went to all this trouble."

With a shout of laughter he replied, "Yes, it sounds like we might need to keep our strength up!"

Blushing, Mac said, "I'm sorry, AJ, I don't know where this habit of blurting out the first thing that comes into my head came from, but I don't seem to be able to stop it tonight."

"It's fine Sarah, I find it refreshingly honest and believe me when I saw you in that dress my first thought was to sweep you up into my arms and carry you to my bed. I was just trying to remain a gentleman and at least feed you first."

"Well then we should eat, as you said, we'll need our strength." And the meal began; she complimented him on everything, it all tasted wonderful.

Quiet reigned for a while as they ate and then AJ couldn't stop the question that had been burning on his mind from emerging, "How did things go with Harm?"

"He wasn't happy about it, but I didn't expect him to be. On the other hand he also didn't beg me not to break it off, or pledge his undying love for me either. That was how I knew that he would be fine eventually."

"And when you told him the other man was me?"

"He wondered if you…it's not important."

"He wondered if I could keep you happy? Was that it?"

"Actually he just demonstrated the fact that he isn't as attentive to the things I had to say to him, as he should have been."

"What was it Sarah?"

"Harm knows I've always wanted children and…"

AJ interrupted her, "And he wondered if I could give them to you."

"Yes, but what he forgot was that the problem would lie with me and not you. Do you remember the back pains I was having just before you left JAG?"

"Yes, you insisted that they weren't anything, but then you finally admitted they were and saw your doctor about them. You took the day of my retirement party off, then arrived late looking stiff and sore."

"You remember all that?" she asked, stunned at how much that touched her.

"I remember everything about you, Sarah. What was it all about?"

"I found out I had endometriosis and even after having it treated there is only a four percent chance that I could ever become pregnant. 

"You told Harm that and he forgot?!"

"Yes."

"How could he forget something so devastating to you? Sarah, I've always regretted that Francesca was my only child and now knowing how much having a child would mean to you I assure you we will find a way. We could adopt, or look into artificial insemination, or even a surrogate, but we will find a way to be parents if that is what you want."

"Oh AJ! What did I ever do to deserve you? I'd love to have your child if we can find a way, but if not, adoption is okay with me too. There are so many children out there in need of loving families!" With a sly grin she asked, "Just how many children do you want?"

To be continued….


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

AJ chuckled and answered happily, "As many as you want Sarah and if we need a bigger house to accommodate them all, we can do that too!"

Mac sighed and smiled at him, "I knew there was a reason I loved you!"

Since they had finished eating while they talked, he took her by the hand and led her to his large recliner, rather than the couch. She was a bit surprised at that until he sat down and drew her into his lap. It felt so good to snuggle into his strong arms. "Sarah, do you know how soon you'll need to be in San Diego?"

"Not really, when I thought I was going to London with Harm and Mattie I didn't ask for details on that assignment. I'm sure I can find out on Monday. Why?"

"Well, if it isn't rushing you to much I'd like us to be married here before we go. That way we can have all our friends with us."

"That's what Harm and I were going to do too. So it wouldn't be rushing me at all," she stopped to giggle. "Although they might be a bit surprised at the last minute change in grooms!"

"You want to use the arrangements you made for yourself and Harm?"

"I don't see why not, unless you have an objection? The Chapel is reserved and Chaplain Turner will be there."

"You don't think that will upset Harm?"

"I can check with him AJ, but I really don't think it will be a problem. Unless next weekend is too soon for you?"

"Not at all! After all this time the sooner you're my wife the better I'll like it!" he exclaimed, hugging her tighter. "Sarah, there is one other thing…" he hesitated.

"Yes AJ? What is it? You know you can tell me anything."

"It's just that even though I asked you to stay the weekend here, I didn't want to presume too much. I do have a guest room and since we've waited this long to be together, and with the wedding in just a week, I want you to know that we can wait until we are married to make love."

"That has to be the sweetest, most romantic thing I've ever heard! Thank you AJ. I've never had anyone respect me that much," she pressed a gentle kiss of gratitude on his cheek.

Giving her a loving smile, he said, "Alright then, there's clean sheets on the bed in the guest room and fresh towels in the bathroom."

"There's only one problem that I see, my love," Mac told him.

"The lack of a lock on the door? I promise that you won't need one."

"No, the problem is that I don't want to wait a week to make love to you, in fact, if you won't think me totally immoral, I'd rather not even wait another hour!"

"Sarah?" he questioned in surprise. "Didn't you just tell me how much my offer to wait meant to you?"

"Yes I did, and it still does, but that doesn't mean that I want us to wait. Just your offer meant more to me than you can ever know!"

"But we've waited nearly ten years. I can wait until you're my wife to make you mine, Sarah."

"Don't you want to make love to me tonight, AJ?" she asked, all of a sudden unsure of herself.

"Oh my love, of course I do! I just wanted you to know that you are precious to me and that I want our first time to be as special as you are."

Getting up from his lap and holding out her hand to him she said, "It will be, AJ. It will be, but right now I can't wait, I want to make love with you." Drawing him towards his bedroom door, her intention was clear.

AJ stopped her at the threshold to his room and she looked back at him in puzzlement. 'Did he really want to wait?' she wondered as he swept her off her feet and into his arms.

"I love you, Sarah," he declared, then kissed her as he stepped into the room and carried her to the bed. Standing her on her feet next to his king sized bed he asked her softly, "May I undress you, Darlin'?"

To be continued….


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 (pg version)

"Oh yes, AJ! Oh yes!" Mac assured him.

Untying the belt of her wraparound dress, he slid the cloth through the loops holding it in place and then helped it to slide off her shoulders until it lay in a scarlet pool at her feet. He took a step back to look at her and she could see the desire in his eyes. "Sarah, you're breathtaking!"

"I'm glad that you find me so AJ," she told him as she stepped forward to reach for the buttons on his shirt. Mac wanted to finally see the body she had dreamed of, the body hidden away by his uniform all those years. Remembering how he looked in his running clothes for the JAGathon race, she knew he was trim and fit, but she couldn't wait to run her hands over his naked flesh.

Once the shirt was gone she looked at the light mat of hair on his chest and was reminded of the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears she had read to little AJ and Jimmy last week. He wasn't too hairy or too bare like some men she'd seen, no, AJ was 'just right'! With a happy sigh she ran her hands from his shoulders down to his chest, curling her fingers in the hair there.

"Sarah," he sighed.

"Do you like that?" she inquired. His beautiful coffee colored eyes had deepened in color and were now the shade of her favorite dark chocolate. She felt she could lose herself in their sweet depths.

'Yes," he told her and then pulled her to him to kiss her, when they parted for air, he whispered, "It's so hard to believe that this is really happening. I've dreamed of us being together so many times that I'm sure I'll wake up soon only to find you gone again."

"AJ, if this is a dream, then both of us are having it this time. Please trust that this is real and I will be with you for as long as you want me."

"Then we'll be together forever Sarah, because that's how long it will take to show you how deeply I love you."

"Forever, that has a very nice ring to it," she sighed.

Lifting her into his arms AJ placed her in the center of the bed and then gently removed her shoes. Caressing his way up her legs, he slowly drew his hands down again removing her stocking as he went.

When she was clad in just her panties, Mac could wait no longer to be free of the last scrap of fabric. Sliding them off on her own legs, she got them as far as her knees before he was there to help her.

As her panties joined the rest of the clothes on the floor, AJ came to her and lay next to her. Another earth-shattering kiss had her squirming on the bed trying to convey to him her need for more.

To be continued….


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Both of them encouraged the other towards the ultimate goal that lovers everywhere strive for and all too quickly both of them were crying out in bliss as they reached their fulfillment at the same time. Collapsing next to her so as not to crush her with his weight, both of them strove to get their breathing under control.

"AJ, that was incredible! I can't believe that Meredith could ever have cheated on…oh!" she stopped talking as she realized how that would sound.

To be continued….


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"She told you what she'd done?" AJ asked in surprise, knowing he'd never told anyone what happened to end his engagement.

Shamefaced, Mac admitted, "Yes, after she barged in on you that day at JAG and then your sudden decision to retire, I went to her and demanded to know what she'd done to you, and you basically confirmed it earlier at my apartment when you suggested that if Harm found us in bed..."

"I guess I did at that, but with Meredith how did you know it wasn't the other way around?"

"Because I know you and I know you're a man of your word. Once you'd pledged to marry her, I couldn't think of any reason on earth that you would end the engagement unless it was something Meredith had done."

"That was all such a mistake from the beginning, I didn't love her and even though we could have had the kind of marriage you were going to have with Harm, she didn't know that's all it would have been for me. I should have known when proposing to her became a series of disasters that it wasn't meant to be. But I had come to the realization that you and I would never be together and I selfishly didn't want to spend the rest of my life alone."

"That isn't selfish AJ! Not many people want to spend their lives alone, look at what I was prepared to have with Harm, as you mentioned!"

"I wasn't criticizing you, Sarah," he wanted to assure her.

"I know that, darling. I didn't think you were."

"If only we had been free to explore our feelings when we first met, or if I'd had the courage to kiss you that night here in my room, we wouldn't have wasted all these years."

"They haven't been a waste AJ. I've come to respect and admire you so much. Your strength and courage have inspired me more often than I can tell you. I know that your honor and duty wouldn't let you tell me of your interest in me when we met all those years ago. But we have come to know each other over the years and learn so much about the other, and through that, ourselves as well. My only regret is that if we had discovered our feelings sooner, we might have been able to have children…however now…" she trailed off.

"Sarah, we'll find a way to have children, this I promise you! You'll be a wonderful mother and with me as a stay-at-home father I can make sure that they are properly led towards a life in the…Navy." This comment had exactly the reaction he'd intended. He hated to see his love depressed and although he'd thrilled at all she'd said about him, when her thoughts had turned to regrets, he knew he needed to lighten the mood.

Abruptly sitting up in the bed, she gasped, "NAVY! Oh no you don't, buster! I'm the one that will be going off everyday in uniform and coming home to share with them the excitement of my day! We'll see whom they follow!"

"Oh yes, but I'll be home with them and able to constantly relate to them my adventures as a SEAL. As for the…excitement of your days…remember it wasn't all that long ago I was a JAG and I know just how 'exciting' a day full of paperwork and phone calls can be!" he tried to restrain his laughter at her indignant expression, but failed.

As he laughed at her, she retorted, "Yes, but what about all those exciting trips I've taken? Afghanistan…Indonesia…Russia…Paraguay…"

"And let's not forget partners that take you flying in their plane and get you shot, or shooting up a courtroom…"

"There! You see, I do have my share of adventures!" she laughed. "But the best adventure of all will be being married to you, the most wonderful man in the world!"

"Well I don't know about the world, but I'd settle for being the most wonderful man in your life, Sarah."

"You are, my love, you are!" Snuggling into his arms, she laid her head on his chest, it felt so good to just be able to lie in his arms and listen to his heartbeat. Before she knew it the gentle rhythm of his heart had lulled her to sleep.

AJ laid there for a long time just watching her sleep. It still seemed unreal that she was finally there in his life, in his arms, in his bed. He was almost afraid that if he allowed himself to go to sleep he would wake up only to find that it really had been a dream and once again he would be all alone. But ultimately sleep came and morning followed.

He woke with joy in his heart. The first thought to come to his mind was that Sarah Mackenzie was at last his. But then joy turned to ashes in his mouth as he reached for her beside him only to discover that as with all the years before she wasn't there! It was once again just a dream.

To be continued….


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

But it had seemed so real! AJ could even smell her scent on the pillow next to his! And if so, why would he smell her and coffee?

Just as that thought registered, the bedroom door opened and in walked the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen. Sarah approached the bed wearing nothing but his shirt and carrying two mugs of steaming coffee.

"Morning sailor, would you like to start the day off right?" she asked holding out one of the mugs to him. She was however, startled when he took both of them from her and put them on the bedside table.

Reaching for her, AJ pulled her into bed with a growl. "Yes I would!" he declared, stripping the shirt off of her in one smooth move. In the next instant she was laying under him and her lips were captured in a passionate kiss.

As he lifted his head to look into her eyes, AJ saw her lips moving but could hear no words. "What are you doing darling?"

"Making a mental note," she replied.

"And that would be?" he wanted to know.

"In the future I will remember that you like sex before your coffee…"

Stunned for just a moment, a sudden burst of laughter erupted from him. This woman would never cease to amaze him! "Yes please remember that!" he insisted and began to kiss his way down her body.

To be continued….


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Mac said between gasps, "I don't think we ate enough to keep that energy level up all night!"

With a chuckle he pulled the comforter up over them and suggested, "Maybe a short nap will recharge those tired Marine batteries of yours."

Her head popped up off his chest and in an affronted tone she demanded, "What do you mean 'tired Marine batteries'? Like you could do anything but just lay here at this point my mighty SEAL!"

"SEALs are Everyready my dear!" he declared with a proud laugh.

"So you're trying to tell me that your penis is possessed by a soft furry pink bunny?"

"Well at the moment it's in the possession of a lovely golden brown Marine…" he sighed as she kept stroking him.

Mac laughed at the mental image that popped into her head and even harder when he demanded, "What?!"

"Oh I was just picturing you in a fuzzy pink bunny costume is all," she said through her giggles.

It was hard to keep the affronted look on his face when the woman he loved was laughing so hard. He seldom saw this carefree side of her, but he liked it and made a vow to himself to try and bring it out more. "A pink bunny huh? I'll have to see what I can do about that!" His comment made her laugh even harder.

The next day, between lovemaking sessions, they discussed what to do about their individual residences. Since Mac's apartment was rented, that wasn't a problem and she had just planned to sell all the furniture rather than take it to London, but when AJ pressed her, she admitted there were a couple of pieces she would've liked to keep. He told her to keep whatever she wanted and to bring it all to the house.

"But your things are so nice, AJ! None of mine are up the quality of what you have here!"

"That doesn't matter Sarah, if they're important to you then we'll find a place for them here. Until then we can store anything you like in the basement. I'm sure there will be quite a few things that we'll both want to take to San Diego with us."

"I was thinking of that and my moving expenses are, of course, covered so if you don't have a huge amount we can box it up with mine and ship it all at once."

"Sarah, I can afford to move my things. There's no need to worry about the cost. I haven't had anyone or anything to spend money on, other than Francesca, in quite a while, so I have a tidy sum in the bank."

"Oh AJ, I wasn't worried about that at all! I just thought that if we shipped it all together everything would arrive at once. Other than my clothes, some books and music, I don't have much I want to take."

"I see. I'm sorry for misunderstanding. There are just so many things we haven't had the time to talk over yet. Please forgive me?"

"There's nothing at all to forgive! And don't worry, we have the rest of our lives to get to know every little detail about each other."

"Yes I guess that's true. But now we really should get busy, we have so much to do to get things organized before the wedding."

"The first thing on that list is you calling Harm to find out if he objects to the two of us using the date and plans for the wedding you two had made for us," AJ told her gently.

With a resigned sigh, she reached for his shirt once again and said she would do that if he would feed her!

To be continued….


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

AJ sighed with resignation as she made off with one of his favorite shirts. What was it with women and men's shirts? Not that it wasn't as sexy as hell to have the woman he loved running around the house wearing just his shirt, but he made a mental note to ask Sarah why she did it.

As he pulled on a pair of jeans and buttoned them, he thought of the women in his past and realized the three relationships that ended in disaster were with the three women who'd been too 'dignified' to wear his shirts. The first had been Marcella, 'a Mayor's daughter didn't do those kinds of things!', then Sydney Walden, 'a doctor was to mature for that silliness!', and finally there had been Meredith, 'ewww it's dirty!'.

Laura Delaney had liked wearing his shirts and over the years he could recall one or two others that he had brief relationships with that did. Now there was Sarah! Maybe that should have been his rule of thumb rather than letting his heart decide things! But none of that mattered now, he was finally with the woman that had filled his dreams for nearly a decade and he knew they had a happy future ahead of them.

Passing through the living room on the way to the kitchen he could see that things weren't going as smoothly as Mac had hoped they would with Harm. If the look on her face was anything to go by, they would have to make their own arrangements for the coming weekend.

Mac had dialed Harm's home number from memory. He'd been at the same apartment for as long as she had known him, even though there had been talk of buying a house for Mattie and him, it just never seemed to happen. She wondered, as his phone rang, if he would continue the plans to look for a house in London or now that she was no longer a part of the picture he would settle for another apartment for the two of them. "Harm it's Mac," she said to his 'Hello.'

"Well…hello Mac! I didn't think I'd be hearing from you today. I thought you'd still be with Chegwidden or didn't things go as planned? Did you find that he couldn't keep you happy after all and now you want to come crawling back to me?"

"Thank you for your deep and abiding concern Harm, but AJ and I are perfectly happy with each other. The reason I'm calling is to find out if you would mind if AJ and I used the arrangements we made for next weekend?"

"Let me make sure I understand this…first you dump me a week before our wedding to go to someone else, and now you want to know if I MIND letting the two of you use OUR wedding plans?"

"Yes, that's about it in a nutshell. I take it from your reaction that you object?"

There was a long pause during which AJ passed through the living room and she couldn't help but sigh at the sexy picture he made. He was shirtless, she grinned and fingered the collar of the shirt she'd stolen from him, his button fly jeans fit him like a second skin and he was barefoot. Mac had never seen him so relaxed and casual before, it was very enlightening. She guessed this was just one of the many things they would learn about each other.

Harm's voice startled her back to the phone in her hand, "Nah, go ahead and do it, Mac. Wasn't Chegwidden going to walk you down the aisle when you were going to marry Buggme? Maybe since you've put him in my place you'd like me to be in his? Do you want me to give you away to him Mac, or do you even want me there?"

"I'd like it if both you and Mattie could be there, Harm. Can you come as my friend? Or have you stopped feeling that way about me?"

"FRIEND!? Mac, we were getting married!"

To be continued….


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Yes, but there was never any grand passion between us. We've always been the best of friends and would have had a congenial married life. But if there had ever been any real love between us, we would have been married long ago. Please try and be happy for me, Harm. I would be for you if the situation was reversed!" Mac pleaded with him.

"So is that what you and Chegwidden have together? A Grand Passion? It's funny, but I have a hard time seeing our uptight Admiral that way!"

Just at that moment AJ entered the dining room with two plates of steaming food. There was a tea-towel slung over his shoulder and he was beaming a smile at her. Mac found herself thinking, 'You wouldn't say that if you could have seen us last night, or even right now!' But all she said to Harm was, "Thank you for agreeing, Harm, and we both hope to see the two of you there on Saturday."

Mac hung up the phone and joined AJ near the dining table. He smiled tenderly at her and opened his arms, offering a hug she gladly stepped into. "It sounded like Harm was giving you a rough time. Do we need to make our own plans?"

"No, he was just fussing. In the end he agreed, and I even think he and Mattie will be there. The only question on my mind right now is, do I need to put on a few more clothes before enjoying this wonderful breakfast you made, or am I okay as is?"

"You are more that just 'okay' in anything you wear or don't wear in my book, Sarah Mackenzie…soon to be Chegwidden…well, that is if you want to take my name. Either way is fine with me Sarah, which ever you want."

"Of course I want to take your name! I've always dreamed of being Sarah Chegwidden, I just never really thought it would ever happen."

"Well then I hope that Saturday won't be to long of a wait to make your dream come true. I hope that I'll be able to make all of your dreams come true."

"The only dream I have other than being your wife is to be a mother…"

"I promise you Sarah that I'll find a way to make that happen for us too."

At that moment her stomach decided to speak up. With a rueful grin she suggested, "Shall we eat now?"

He held out a chair for her and sat down next to her saying, "I have something in mind for us when we finish eating…"

"Oh? And just what would that be?" she asked between bites.

"I thought we might try out my shower…together…"

"Hmmmmm, that does sound wonderful! You're on, Sailor! How fast can you finish eating?"

With shared grins, they both dug in saying nothing else until their plates were empty.

As soon as she put her fork down Mac jumped to her feet and declared, "Last one to the shower doesn't stand under the spray!"

She was half way across the living room lifting his shirt over her head when he laughingly said, "I suppose you're expecting me to argue that you have less on and this contest is hardly fair," as he got up from the table and started to follow her.

"I can't help it if you felt the need to do up all those buttons on those jeans!" she gaily called out already heading into his bedroom completely naked.

AJ had the offending buttons undone and was stepping out of the jeans as he crossed the bedroom behind her.

"You wouldn't really be mean enough to put me out in the cold while you stand under the hot water, now would you?" Mac asked as she entered the bathroom.

A sly grin crossed his face as he assured her, "Of course not, my love!"

"I saw that look! No tricks now!" she demanded. Mac had reached the huge glassed in shower stall that was big enough for four adults. It had two seats in it and there were multiple showerheads on each of three walls. She stood there gaping in amazement. This was a dream shower! One you only saw in opulent movies or those ritzy shops that catered to the ultra-wealthy. "AJ! This is incredible!

To be continued….


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"We SEALs take our showers seriously, darling!" AJ replied.

"How can you think of giving this up to move to San Diego with me?" Mac questioned softly.

Turning her into his arms he asked her tenderly, "Do you really think that this shower, or this house, is more important than you?"

"I guess it will just take a while for it to sink in that you truly love me."

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"My track record has been pretty lousy and it's hard to think that a man as wonderful as you could love someone with my history."

"Sarah, your history makes you the person you are today. It's that strong, capable, competent woman that I love, and while I'm glad that you think I'm wonderful there really isn't anything all that special about me. I also have a less than stellar history when it comes to relationships, but I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to make this one work."

"So will I, my love!" she promised and drew him into the shower with her.

They made love in the shower and then again in the bedroom when they got out. It was during lunch that Mac had a thought, "You know I should probably call Harriett and let her know about the change in plans."

"Don't you mean the change in grooms?" AJ laughed.

Giggling, she admitted, "Yes that! She is going to be my matron-of-honor and while I don't see her having any objections, I should be the one to tell her rather than letting Bud break the news to her tomorrow night when he gets home from work."

"I have an idea. I'd like Bud to be my best man and would like to ask him in person, so why don't we call them and see if we could drop over tonight with dinner and tell them then?"

"That's great! Then if you don't mind, we could spend the night at my place so we could stay in bed longer before I have to leave for work?"

"Like I would ever object to any plan that would keep me in bed with you longer! Why don't you call the Roberts and find out what they want us to bring for dinner while I throw a change of clothes in a bag?"

Mac did that, only telling Bud that she had something to talk to them about, but giving no details. He told her that fried chicken would be Harriett's choice for dinner; she was going through a stage where she wanted only fried foods.

On the way into town they picked up two buckets of chicken, along with several side dishes and rolls. Arriving at the Roberts' door, they were met with surprise when Bud saw AJ with Mac.

"If you let us come in, we'll explain everything," Mac teased him as he stood there blocking the doorway. "Plus, AJ has the chicken!"

"Oh! I'm sorry! Please come in Sir, Ma'am!" he stammered as he backed up to allow them entry.

"Buddy, is that Mac?" Harriett's voice could be heard coming from upstairs.

"Yes honey, and she has Admiral Chegwidden with her!"

"Really!?" she asked, appearing at the top of the stairs.

She was almost knocked off her feet as two little tornados rushed past her, flying down the stairs calling out, "Admiral AJ!" and "Auntie Mac!" as they ran.

Both new arrivals were hugged within an inch of their lives and only the few seconds warning that AJ had, as the two raced towards them, saved the chicken from being scattered on the front lawn.

"Please, please come in!" Harriett begged as she slowly came down the stairs. She had just started showing with the twins and her center of gravity was off just a bit these days. "Boys! Let them get in the house!" she admonished.

Everyone moved towards the dining room and while the food was being set out, AJ asked Mac, "Do you want to start the explanations, or shall I?"

To be continued….


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Grinning at the puzzled looks on Bud and Harriett's faces, Mac suggested with a wink, "Why don't you?" She would have added 'darling' to the end of that, but wanted to keep the suspense up just a little bit longer.

"Alright," AJ replied. As they all sat down he turned slightly towards Bud and said, "It seems that I'm in need of a best man and I was wondering if you would consider taking the job, Bud?"

Stunned, Bud finally asked, "Have you and Miss Cavanaugh gotten back together, Sir?"

"Good Lord NO!" AJ exclaimed as Mac burst out laughing at the look of horror on his face. "And its 'AJ' now Bud! I'm no longer in the Navy."

"Old habits, Si…AJ. If it's not Miss Cavanaugh, then who are you going to marry?" Bud asked.

"I think this is where you come in, Sarah," AJ teased.

Delightedly, she turned to Harriett, "I know you said that you would be my matron-of-honor this weekend and I was hoping that you wouldn't change your mind if there was a change in the line-up."

"Change in the line-up? I don't think I understand."

"Well, Harm and I have always been good friends, but there was never any eternal love between us and just very recently, for which I have you to thank I might add, I discovered that the man I do love with all my heart has feelings for me too..."

For maybe the first time in history, Bud got something first! "And the Admiral needs a best man! Wow, are you two getting married?"

Seeing Mac and AJ exchange loving glances and reach for each other's hands, Harriett gave a squeal of delight and practically launched herself at the two of them. Hugging them tightly, she enthused, "Oh this is so wonderful! I always knew the two of you belonged together! You two will be just perfect together!"

"So, can I take this as a 'yes you will still stand up with me on Saturday'?" Mac teased as she hugged Harriett back.

"Oh yes, yes, yes!"

"And Bud, you never did answer my question," AJ reminded the younger man.

"Question, Sir?"

"To be his best man, Buddy! Of course he will be, Sir! I'd kill him if he said no!"

"Harriett, I can answer for myself! I'd be honored to, Si…AJ, and it has nothing to do with Harriett's threat to kill me."

"Thank you Bud, but I wouldn't worry too much about that threat…I'd be much more worried that she'd put you on diaper detail!"

"Been there, done that!" Bud assured him, and they all had a good laugh at the expression on his face.

Everyone settled down and went back to eating in between demands to know how this all happened and how Harm was taking it. They took turns answering questions and then explained that Mac would be taking the promotion and transfer to San Diego after all. Both of them were saddened to learn that two of their favorite people would be moving out of the area, but they were mixed feelings because of the happiness that AJ and Mac had discovered their love for each other.

The next morning found them snuggled in each other's arms when the alarm went off. Mac rolled over with a moan and slapped it off. "God I hate to leave this bed with you still in it!" she protested as she got to her feet.

"Would it help if I got out of it?" AJ joked.

"Not much, but I might feel slightly better if you could scrounge up some breakfast while I shower."

"Consider it done," he stated, getting up and slipping into his jeans before heading to the kitchen.

Mac emerged from the bedroom eighteen minutes later, showered and fully dressed for work other than her shoes and jacket both of which she carried in her hands. Putting them down, she walked over to AJ and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek on his back as he stood at the stove. "Do I smell chocolate?" she asked eagerly.

To be continued….


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"Yes," AJ replied, and then added, "You didn't have much in the fridge or cupboards, but I did find a box of Cream of Wheat."

"Cream of Wheat?! I got that for Chloe over a year ago when she was here on a visit and got sick. I hate the stuff!" she backed away a bit in distaste, as if just being close to it would cause her to eat it.

"Well, I've doctored it up a bit. Why don't you pour us both some coffee, it should be done by now, and then you can at least try it."

"And where does the chocolate come in?" she asked pouring them both a mug of coffee. "I know I didn't get chocolate Cream of Wheat."

"I did say that I'd 'doctored' it," he teased, spooning up a bowl for her and trading it for his mug of coffee.

Still with a look of distaste on her face, she picked up a spoon and took a tiny bite. A startled look of pleasure replaced the one of distaste, as she took a larger spoonful. "Wow! This is good! Really good! Where did you learn to make this?"

"I learned it when Francesca was small. She used to love it and any time I was able to be there in the mornings I made it for her. She was only two, but she always wanted me to make Coco Wee," he laughed at the memory.

"Well, you can make Coco Wee for me anytime!" she told him as she hurried to finish her breakfast. "I hate to leave, but if I don't I'll be late and General Creswell isn't as nice as my old boss was."

"Nice!? I was hard as nails!" he protested.

"Yeah, sure! I bet you didn't know that Harriett used to call you Admiral Teddy Bear!"

"She didn't!"

"She most certainly did! She used to say that your gruff exterior just hid a heart of soft foam stuffing!"

"Such disrespect! I wonder if I could still have her court marshaled!? Or at the very least I'll have to mark her off my Christmas list!"

"Yeah like that will happen!" Mac snorted as she grabbed her briefcase and started for the door.

"Colonel Mackenzie, HALT!" he barked in his best 'Admiral's voice'.

She snapped to, just like she had in the old days, when she heard that tone in his voice. It took a second to realize that she didn't have to respond like that any longer and she spun around on her heel to see what was going on.

"Is that the proper way to take leave of your fiancé?" he demanded.

"I wouldn't know…the last time I was engaged it happened so fast that I never really left him. Chris proposed and the next thing I knew we were in front of a Justice of the Peace." With a laugh she inquired, "So, just what is the proper way to take leave of a fiancé?"

"With a kiss of course!" he instructed her.

She gladly flew into his arms, not caring if this made her a few minutes late. She loved AJ so much that any chance to kiss and hold him was not to be passed up. He finally released her from the kiss and patting her on her six he told her to get moving that she was going to be late.

"Will you come by so we can go to lunch?" she asked hurrying to the door.

He nodded and told her he would be there at noon and he closed the door behind her.

To be continued….


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The bullpen was buzzing about the hostile attitude that Commander Rabb was showing to Colonel Mackenzie that morning. No one in the office, except Bud, knew the full story of what had happened over the weekend. All they knew was that things had been fine at the engagement party on Friday night.

Mac stopped at PO Coates' desk and told her she needed to see the General before the staff meeting. She was surprised when Jen glared at her, but put her request through to Creswell. As the two of them waited for him to answer the intercom, Mac asked, "Harm told you what happened, didn't he?"

"Yes Ma'am," came Jen's clipped answer.

"And you don't approve?"

"I don't know how you could do that to a guy as nice as the Commander! I mean, you get engaged to him on Friday and break it off on Saturday!?"

"Actually, we got engaged on Wednesday. We just didn't announce it till Friday. We couldn't have made all those plans in that short of time," Mac defended.

Before Jen could reply to that, Creswell told her to send the Colonel in.

"Good morning, Sir," Mac said when she stood in front of the desk that she would always think of as AJ's.

"What can I do for you this morning, Colonel?"

"I was wondering if you could give me more details on the transfer to San Diego. Oh, and I'm getting married on Saturday and wanted to invite you and your family to come."

"Thank you, Colonel, I had heard the news and hope that you and the Commander will be very happy. However, I was under the impression that you would be living in London. Does this mean I need to find someone to fill the Commander's position there?"

"No Sir. Commander Rabb will be going to London and I will be going to San Diego. The Commander and I were engaged, but over the weekend things changed."

"But you just invited me to the wedding on Saturday!"

"Yes Sir. I'm getting married, but Commander Rabb is not. Only the groom has changed."

"I see…no, actually I don't see at all! Explain yourself, Colonel!"

"Well Sir, when AJ found out I had decided to give up the Corps on a flip of a coin, he came to me to find out what was going on. One thing led to another and we discovered we had feelings for each other. So I broke it off with Harm, and AJ and I will be getting married this weekend."

"AJ…Chegwidden?! You're marrying Chegwidden?!"

"Yes Sir."

"And you expect me to believe that there was nothing going on while you were under his command?"

"Sir, you don't know Admiral Chegwidden very well if you can even contemplate that question. His devotion to duty would never have allowed that to happen and do you really think that I would have gotten engaged to Harm if there HAD been something going on between AJ and I?"

"Frankly, Colonel, I'm not at all sure what to believe!"

"I assure you on my honor as a Marine, that until two days ago I had no idea that AJ loved me, and he also didn't know that I loved him!"

"That must have been some conversation, Colonel!"

"It was, Sir!" she admitted with a lowered gaze and a slight blush.

"Alright, Colonel, here is the folder on San Diego. I was just going through the list of candidates trying to decide who to send in your place. I'm glad now that I won't have to do so. I take it that Chegwidden is planning to relocate with you, or are you going to have one of those long distance marriages?"

"We will be going to California together, Sir."

"Alright Colonel, I'll see you at the staff meeting if there's nothing else…"

"That was all Sir."

"Okay dismissed then."

"Thank you, Sir," she said and left the office.

To be continued….


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The staff meeting that morning was uncomfortable to say the least. All Harm would do is glare at her and snarl at anyone, except Creswell, that dared to talk to him. After they were dismissed, people gathered around Mac since it was clear that Harm was in no mood to talk. It seemed that Jen had spread the news of the broken engagement. All the questions were about that. Mac was surprised that no one asked about her and AJ. Then it occurred to her, they didn't know! Either Jen had left that part out or for some reason, Harm hadn't told her! Mac could only assume the latter was true because surely if Jen had known that information it would have been shared with the news of the breakup.

Glad that Harm had an early court case, Mac waited until he had left the bullpen and then called everyone together to make her announcement. "I know you are all dying of curiosity as to what happened over the weekend, so here is the story…Harm and I were two friends planning to build a life together, but I was in love with someone else. This someone I thought was out of reach. On Saturday I found he wasn't and told Harm I had to call off the wedding. However, as it turns out, I will still be getting married on Saturday and you're all still invited. Harm is upset with me, but understands. He has even said he and Mattie will be there to support me."

"Is it Mr. Webb?" Jen wanted to know.

"No, but I'm not saying any more. My fiancé will be here at noon to pick me up for lunch and you can all meet him them." After that, she beat a hasty retreat to her office; she needed to go over the San Diego information so she and AJ could discuss it over lunch.

AJ stepped off the elevator five minutes early. It felt odd to be there in civilian clothes, and even odder still to have a 'visitors' badge clipped to his shirt.

Jen was just coming out of the break room with a fresh cup of coffee for General Creswell; she was the first one to spot Admiral Chegwidden. Without conscious thought she called out, "Attention on deck!" and came to attention herself.

Grinning at her he said, "Coates, you don't have to do that any more, but it did have a nice feel to it. Thank you."

"Admiral, I didn't know you were coming in today! The General is completely booked up this afternoon. I don't know how I can get you in to see him!"

"Well then, it's a good thing that I'm not here to see him."

"Then who are you here to see, Sir?"

Before AJ had a chance to reply, Mac came out of her office right on the dot of 1200 hours. "How did I know you would already be here, darling?" she asked going up to him and placing a kiss on his cheek.

AJ's arm came up around her waist as mouths fell open in shock around the room. "Do you think I would dare to keep you waiting for food, my love?"

"Oh my God! You're engaged to the Admiral?!" Jen questioned loudly.

Harm, who had heard Mac's fiancé was coming to take her to lunch, had holed himself up in his office with the door and blinds closed. But even so, he knew who had arrived by that loud question.

"Yes," Mac replied. "And we would like you all to be at the wedding on Saturday," she added.

"Shall we go, Sarah? I wanted to make a stop on the way to the restaurant and I know you have to be in court at 1400 hours."

"I'm ready," she told him and they headed to the elevator.

As soon as they were gone, Jen knocked on Harm's office door, forgetting that the General was waiting for his coffee.

To be continued….


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

At Harm's snap of 'Who is it?' Jen opened the door and popped her head in. "They're gone," she told him

"And why do you think I care?" he demanded.

"Because you're holed up in here hiding. I don't know how you can let her do this to you!" Jen answered, sitting down across the desk from him.

"I didn't have much of a choice! What should I have done? Forced her to marry me anyway? You know how strong willed Mac is, she would never have gone for that."

"Stubborn, you mean!"

"Yeah…my only concern now is for Mattie. Mac was going to take care of her while I was at work," he told her resting his head in his hands.

That was how he missed the eager look on Jen's face when she offered, "I could go with you and take care of her!" She'd been in love with Harm almost from the first, but he never seemed to see her as anything but an older version of Mattie. She certainly didn't want to be seen that way in his eyes!

"That just wouldn't work, Jen. I mean here we were able to explain it with you in another apartment down the hall, I doubt we could get away with that in London."

She was about to suggest that they could get married just like he and Mac had been going to when they both heard General Creswell bellowing in the bullpen, "Petty Officer Coates!"

Hurrying out of Harm's office, she remembered she was supposed to be getting the General his coffee. The mug was still in her hand, but the contents were no longer hot.

Seeing Coates with mug in hand, Creswell approached her reaching out for it. "Did you have to personally have to track down Juan Valdez to get this, Petty Officer?"

"No, Sir. I got distracted by Colonel Mackenzie and Admiral Chegwidden."

Looking behind her to where Harm was standing in the doorway she'd just come out of, he demanded, "And they are in the Commander's office?"

Hanging her head she again replied, "No, Sir. After they left I had to talk to the Commander."

"I see…well if you can avoid any more distractions…I am still waiting for a 'hot' cup of coffee!"

"Yes Sir! I'll get it right away!" She scurried off to the break room to do that.

"Did we shock everyone, Sarah?" AJ asked as he guided her to the Escalade.

"I only told them my fiancé was coming to pick me up, so I think you did all the shocking."

"Oh good! Let me take all the heat," he chuckled.

"Well, you are the big brave SEAL," she teased.

"How was Harm this morning?"

"I think he's more hurt than angry, but I'm sure he'll come around," she replied squeezing his leg where her hand rested on his thigh.

AJ smiled and laid his hand over hers returning the squeeze. "I hope so, Sarah. I know how important his friendship is to you."

"It is, but we are going to be a world apart soon. You are my life, my family, my love now! You're all I need to be happy."

"Then maybe I was too presumptuous in the phone calls I made today…"

"Oh I doubt that! You always have such wonderful instincts. Tell me…"

"I called a local adoption agency to find out what we needed to do to become parents, just to get the ball rolling, so to speak. Was that wrong of me?" he asked as he pulled into a parking space and turned to face her.

Tears were rolling down her face and fear gripped his heart that he had hurt her with his actions.

"AJ! How incredible of you! We've only just found our love and you're intent on fulfilling all my dreams at once! I love you so much!"

"You're sure, Sarah?" he asked pulling her into his arms.

"Oh yes, my love! What did you find out? What do we need to do?"

"First they referred me to an agency in San Diego and we will need to take a series of classes. I called and they have a class starting in two weeks, but I didn't know if we'd be there by then so I just asked them to hold two spots in the class for us until I could talk to you."

To be continued….


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"That's perfect! This Friday is my last day here at JAG and I have a week to get down there and report the following Monday. So we'll have to have our honeymoon as we pack and move, if that's okay with you," Mac told him.

"That is perfect darling! I'd guessed we'd be moving soon. One of my calls was also to a real estate agent out there. I figured if we were going to start a family we'd need a house rather than an apartment, and Dammit would like that better too!" AJ chuckled before going on, "The adoption classes are Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday's for three hours over two weeks. Then we'll need a home inspection, plus tons of paperwork. Once all that's done, we can start going through their files to choose our children. So, we should start talking about what we are looking for soon."

"AJ! We could be parents in a month!?"

"Well, probably not that soon. The social worker I talked to said that when we select a child then we start with visits to see if everyone likes each other. They recommend that take about six weeks. So I guess two to three months, still faster than having one naturally!" he laughed lightly at her slight pout.

"I guess so! Oh AJ, this is all so wonderful!"

"We can talk all about that tonight. I have more notes at home. Right now I have another surprise for you before we eat."

"Ooooh what? I love your surprises!" she asked eagerly.

He got out of the Escalade, came around to her side, and helped her out. He led her into a jewelry store with a smile that she was coming to love. This smile was different than any she'd ever seen from him before. It was so confident, serene, and full of love. It was the smile he smiled just for her.

A clerk greeted them and AJ told the man they were there for engagement and wedding rings. When Sarah had trouble choosing from the selection placed in front of her, AJ asked her to close her eyes. He'd been carefully watching the ones she'd shown interest in and she seemed to prefer the simple elegance of a single stone rather than a cluster or grouping. She had also shied away from round cut diamonds and he wondered if it was because they reminded her of the ring he'd given Meredith.

When her eyes were closed, he picked up a ring with a large square cut yellow diamond set in a brushed gold band. The set came with two plain brushed gold wedding bands as well. The clerk had always been a pretty good judge of the wealth level of his patrons and because AJ was in a dress shirt and slacks with no suit coat or tie, and his fiancé was in a military uniform, the man worried that the set was out of their price range. Before the man could tell his lady to open her eyes, the clerk slid the price tag in front of AJ. He nodded and turned the tag over telling Sarah she could look now.

Mac opened her eyes and gasped, "Oh AJ, it's beautiful! I love it!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him enthusiastically.

"I guess that means we'll take the set," AJ told the clerk handing him his platinum American Express card. The man's eyes opened wide when he saw 'Admiral AJ Chegwidden' on the card and even wider when the slightly over six thousand dollar sale went through without a hitch. Both of Mac's rings were a perfect fit, but AJ's needed to be enlarged two sizes. The clerk assured his new favorite customer that it would be done that afternoon!

They left the shop and headed off to lunch, AJ teased Mac that he could hear her tummy protesting about the length of time since breakfast. She denied it, just as it rumbled again and then laughed in embarrassment.

After a leisurely meal AJ dropped her back at JAG Headquarters and said he was going to run a few errands before heading home. He promised to have dinner waiting for her.

To be continued….


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The rest of the week just seemed to fly by, with the two of them deciding what they absolutely had to have in California. Things like books, music, clothes, computers and such. When it came to furniture, they needed to evaluate if it would be better to buy there or move what they had. In the end, they decided to take their favorite pieces and purchase new for the rest. Mac closed up her apartment and moved anything she wasn't going to take to California, but still wanted to keep, to AJ's house in McLean. They decided they would both need their vehicles when they got out there.

Mac had all of her cases cleared up by Thursday and had her desk cleaned out too. She checked with Creswell to make sure that he didn't mind her not coming into the office on Friday. He confirmed that it was okay and even managed to relax enough to tease her about what she and AJ would be doing with their free day. He winced in supportive sympathy when she told him that they would be collecting AJ's daughter from the airport.

Creswell's opinion not withstanding, Mac was looking forward to seeing Francesca again. During the week she and AJ had talked on the phone with Francesca and she was very supportive of the marriage. She and Mac had hit it off during their talks and Mac hoped that the two of them could become good friends.

They gathered up Francesca's luggage from baggage claim and were quickly on the way to McLean. The talk on the ride home was about the wedding the next day and their move to California. AJ was worried that he would see even less of his daughter now that he was moving farther away.

"But Papa, if you are going to be adding to the family you will be much to busy to miss me!" she teased her father.

"Nonsense! You will always be my first child and no matter how many more we have I will still love you! I want you to promise that we will still see each other, no making excuses that we will be to busy for you!"

"Okay Papa! I was only teasing you, you know," she told him as she rolled her eyes at Mac who laughed along with her step-daughter-to-be.

"Alright you two…no ganging up on the old man here!"

"I will promise not to, if you stop referring to yourself as 'the old man'!" Mac replied.

"So will I, Papa!"

The three of them stopped and had dinner on the way back to the house. They had a quiet evening going over all the plans that had been made and as they talked, Mac and AJ realized that they had accomplished everything that they needed to have done before the move. With the organization skills of two military officers on the problem, they'd finished in record time. With that in mind, AJ suggested that they let Mac's Vette be shipped with her other things and that they take their now free week and drive AJ's Escalade to California. They could make a leisurely trip of it, stopping anywhere on the way that interested them. If they got there by Thursday evening they could meet with the realtor on Friday and Saturday to look at any houses she had to show them in the area. Mac loved the idea and eagerly spent several hours that night showing him just how much, after Francesca had retired for the evening.

Saturday, August 5, 2005

0700 EST

AJ's house

McLean, Virginia

That morning dawned bright and clear, the soon to be married couple decided to go for a brisk ten mile run to start the day. They kidded each other that they might be just a bit ingrained in the military way of life. Francesca sighed and shook her head. She thought that they were crazy, but she was also very glad to see her Papa so happy.

Ignoring tradition, the happy couple had spent the night in each other's arms and were now arriving together, along with Francesca, at the chapel. As they pulled up and got out of the Escalade, Chloe ran up to greet Mac asking, "Why in the world are you with the Admiral instead of Harm?"

To be continued….


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Mac and AJ stood there facing the teen in their wedding attire. She was wearing an ivory silk dress that Francesca had brought with her from Italy as her wedding gift to Mac and AJ was in his dress uniform. His arm was around her waist as she turned to look up at him in horror.

"I TOLD you I'd thought I was forgetting something!"

"Yes you did!" he chuckled.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on here?" Chloe demanded.

Stepping out of AJ's arm, Mac approached her 'little sister'. "Sweetie, there's been a small change to the wedding today."

"Small?!" AJ grumbled lightly from behind her.

Throwing him a glance over her shoulder that she hoped conveyed that she was sorry for her choice of adjectives, Mac turned back to Chloe and said, "I'm not going to marry Harm. I'm going to marry AJ."

"Wow! I would say that was a MAJOR," she giggled and added, "or should I say ADMIRAL change, not a small one Mac! But you know, I always did think the sexy Admiral was better for you than Harm! Remember when we first met how I asked him when he was going to ask you out?"

While AJ laughed in the background, Mac answered, "Yes I do! You almost embarrassed me to death that day!"

"Hey…what can I say? If you'd only listened to me back then you could have been long married by now and could have been working on a houseful of kids! I just hope you guys aren't too old to do it now!"

"CHLOE!" Mac gasped.

AJ stepped forward, putting his arm around Sarah once again. "I promise you we'll start working on them as soon as possible, Chloe. How many do you think we should have?"

"Well…I know Mac likes kids, and as sexy as you are…you should be good for ten or twelve, don't you think?"

"We'll see what we can do," he promised, as Mac looked on in shock, and then added, "But we should get married first and I believe everyone is inside waiting on us."

"Okay cool," Chloe said as she pushed her way between them and linked an arm with each.

As the three of them reached the stairs to the chapel, a vehicle quickly pulled into the lot and parked in the first space available. Harm and Mattie had arrived. They were rushing towards the door before they saw the three that had been about to enter.

Harm stopped short causing Mattie, who was still a bit slow because of her injuries, to run into his back. "Were you waiting on us?" he inquired rather abruptly.

"No," Mac replied. "We were just talking to Chloe," she added by way of explanation.

"Yeah, we were deciding on how many kids they should have!" Chloe chimed in.

Mattie had moved to Harm's side and now glared up at him, "I thought you told me she couldn't have kids?!" she demanded.

Seeing the hurt look on his bride-to-be's face at this careless discussion of her ability to have children, AJ placed his arm around her protectively and said, "We'll be sure to send you and Harm an announcement every time we add to our family Miss Grace, but right now we have people waiting for us to get married." He turned and swept Mac and Chloe into the chapel with him.

The ceremony was short and sweet and Mac's only moment of worry was that Harm might say something when Chaplain Turner asked if anyone objected. But he didn't and minutes later AJ and she were pronounced husband and wife.

With so few guests the atmosphere was more casual than formal and rather than wait for the newlywed couple to reach the back of the chapel for a reception line, they filled the aisle hugging and kissing the happy couple. When everyone, except Harm and Mattie who had deliberately hung back from the group, had offered their enthusiastic congratulations and best wishes, AJ suggested that everyone join them at Callisto's where they had reserved their private dining room for a wedding lunch.

Harriett wanted to speak to them for a moment so it turned out they were the last ones to leave the chapel. It was then they found out why Harriett had kept them behind! As they walked out the door, they were pelted with birdseed. The chapel had a rule against the traditional rice. Laughing and covering their heads, they made a dash for the Escalade.

To be continued….


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

When they were all at Callisto's, Harriett suggested that they do the bouquet and garter tosses before they ate. Jen Coates and the two teens were the only unmarried females there so Mattie and Chloe weren't too surprised when Mac threw her flowers almost directly to Jen. However, Jen wished that Harm had taken note of the fact that she caught it, and had realized that he should marry her!

Mac apologized for not having a garter for AJ to throw, but there were three men who were actually glad of the fact. AJ was pretty sure that Harm wouldn't want to be expected to get involved in the garter tossing. Sturgis, as the only single male other than Harm, wasn't ready to be thinking of marriage yet. Harm was pretty sure that he would have walked out then and there, rather than stand there trying to catch the garter of the woman he should have married!

Not unexpectedly, Harm and Mattie made their excuses and left the restaurant right after they'd eaten. That however, lightened the mood and the rest of the afternoon took on a real party atmosphere. The only change in that was as people started to leave, they knew that AJ and Mac were going to spend the next day in McLean, but come Monday morning they would be taking off for California.

Each of them said good-bye to the newlyweds and made promises to stay in touch. When only Bud and Harriett were left with them, the four shared hugs all around and both women even shed a few tears. Knowing how much they were going to miss Mac and AJ, Bud came up with an idea, "I know you two will probably be busy with last minute packing and such, so I was thinking that Harriett and I could bring you lunch tomorrow and help you get the Escalade loaded. That way you'd have more time for…ummmm…that is, you could be…ummmm…"

With a purely male smile, AJ helped out the floundering younger man, "We'd have more time for 'honeymoon activities'?"

Blushing, Bud nodded that that was what he'd meant.

Everyone laughed when Mac answered, "Thank you very much, Bud, we would love that!"

They had dropped Francesca off at the Willard at her insistence that she not intrude on their wedding night, and arranged for Bud and Harriett to bring her with them when the came to lunch the next day. Her flight home was Sunday evening and Bud had volunteered to take her to the airport so AJ and Mac could have as much time as possible for 'honeymoon activities'.

The drive back to McLean never seemed so long. For the couple in the Escalade it seemed never ending. Since neither wanted to be stopped and waste time getting ticketed for not wearing their seatbelts, they had to content themselves with clasped hands and heated glances. When they finally arrived, AJ told her to 'stay put' and hurried around to her side of the vehicle.

Opening the door he scooped her up into his arms after undoing her seatbelt and started for the house. Giggling, Mac protested, "You're just supposed to carry me across the threshold not all the way from the car silly!"

"As I said before, I don't want to get anything wrong with you, Sarah, so better safe than sorry."

"Oh AJ!" she sighed, hugging his neck as he maneuvered them through the door, "We're going to be just fine! Please don't worry so! We'll get through anything that comes our way together, okay?"

"I will try and remember that," he told her, carrying her into the bedroom. "But for now, why don't we concentrate on those 'honeymoon activities'?"

"Oooooh, I like the way you think sailor!" she replied as he released her legs and let her body slide along his until she was on her own two feet again.

To be continued….


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

As AJ reached out and tenderly began to undress his new bride. She smiled at him and asked, "We've been making love to each other all week, why does this time suddenly feel different?"

"Could it be because we're married now and that suddenly makes it real?"

"Love? That has been real to me for a long time, even before I found out that you loved me too."

"No, I meant our dream. The dream of a life together. Taking two individual lives and turning them into a family. The two of us now and the children that will be in our future."

"Children…" she sighed.

"Speaking of which, have you given a thought to how many we should have? If we go with Chloe's suggestion we're going to need a pretty big house."

"You know there are so many children in the world that need homes, and I would really love a house full if you would…" at his smile she went on in a teasing tone, "And I always did like the movie 'Cheaper By The Dozen'!"

With a chuckle he replied, "You know, if we're going to have a dozen we might need some help taking care of them all. With all of this being Chloe's idea and she'll graduate high school in the spring, maybe we should try and convince her to go to college in California next fall…"

"That's a wonderful idea!" Mac agreed as she worked to get AJ out of his uniform. He'd looked so handsome in it today that she wondered if he missed wearing it and going to work each day. However, if they were going to have a houseful of kids, she couldn't think of anyone, other than maybe Harriett, that would be better to leave at home with them.

Talk of children was forgotten, as they finally stood before each other naked. AJ gently cupped her face in his large strong hands and whispered, "Do you have any idea how incredibly beautiful I find you, my wonderful wife?"

"Probably as overwhelmingly sexy as I find you, my handsome husband!" she answered as she leaned forward so their lips could meet.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, AJ caressed them, slowly sliding down to gently cup Sarah's breasts. He regretted that they would never have a child that she could nurse. It was one of the fondest memories of his marriage to Marcella. But he knew there would be so many more joys in their life that would far outweigh that one regret.

In the week that they'd been lovers, he'd made sure to find out all the things she liked best. He wanted tonight to be as special as he could make it for her, so he swept her up into his arms and laid her down in the middle of the king sized bed. She started to sit up, wanting to please him as he had been doing to her, but he pushed her back down onto the pillows and said, "No, Sarah. This is just for you my beautiful bride."

Hating to argue with him when she knew just how wonderful a lover he was, she nonetheless wiggled a finger at him and threatened, "All right, but when you're done, I'm going to demand equal time!"

With a smile, he looked down into her determined face and questioned, "You don't really expect me to argue with you about that do you Sarah?"

"All I can say is, you better not!" she declared, throwing her arms above her head indicating her submission to him.

To be continued….


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Taking up a rhythm as old as time, the two of them rode the wave of their passion to an earth shaking conclusion. Several minutes later they lay snuggled in each other's arms drifting off to sleep.

They awoke three times during the night to make love again. When morning finally arrived, they agreed that they'd gotten a great workout already and still needed to load the Escalade for the trip, so a morning run wouldn't be needed.

Instead, they took a leisurely shower together, making love yet again. Mac took another opportunity to mourn leaving his wonderful bathroom behind and he reminded her that if they were ever to move back to Virginia with the family they intended to have, they would never fit in this house.

"But with all this land you have here, surely it would be better to build on rather than give up a place you love to buy another!" she protested.

"We'll face that when and if it happens, darling. For now the realtor will find someone to lease it and we just need to concentrate on San Diego."

They had just finished packing the clothes that they hadn't shipped on ahead of them when the Roberts' van pulled up in the drive. Lunch and help had arrived.

As the four of them laughed and chatted over pizza, Harriett explained that Little AJ had been nearly heartbroken he hadn't been allowed to come and help, he also wanted another chance to say good bye to them. Only his parents' promises that they would tell Admiral AJ and Auntie Mac how much he was going to miss them had gotten them out of the house without him. He, and his brother Jimmy, had been left with their Uncle Mike.

Both AJ and Mac promised that they would keep in touch and then they told Bud and Harriett of their plans to adopt when they got to California. Their friends were thrilled for them and said they'd be willing to help in any way possible. AJ smiled and told them he'd hoped they would feel that way. "One of the things we will need is ten character references and you two were the first ones we thought of."

"We'd be more than happy to do that for the two of you Si…AJ," Bud assured them, grinning at his wife who was nodding eagerly.

"Thank you both!" Mac answered.

To be continued….


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

After they polished off the pizza, three of them began carrying things to the Escalade. Harriett had been sent to the kitchen to box up any food that was left there. AJ had insisted that she take it home to her family. He had shown her what he planned for dinner and added they would get breakfast on the road; she was to take every thing else, even cleaning out his deep freeze. She was sure the Admiral had only given her the task to keep her from lifting heavy things in her condition. At least doing this job she felt more useful than if he'd only allowed her to sit and watch.

Long before Bud and Harriett were willing to admit that the work was done and it was time to say their good-byes', it became fact. AJ and Mac were also reluctant to let the pair go. All four of them knew it would be longer than they wanted before they saw each other again, but there was talk of the Chegwidden's returning to Virginia for Thanksgiving or Christmas. With promises to call and email, the newlyweds finally saw their friends off.

The Escalade was loaded with the exception of the very last minute things. They had dined on a pan of lasagna AJ had in the freezer and then did the dishes and packed them away. All that was left for them to do was to get a good nights sleep so they could be on the road first thing in the morning.

AJ watched as Sarah made a slow tour of every room in the house. She was so quiet and pensive that he finally asked, "Darlin' what's on your mind? Are you regretting the decision to take the promotion and transfer?"

"No…not really," she answered slowly, and then she turned to him with an odd look on her face. "It's just that for so long, I've thought of this as 'your' home and now it's been 'ours' for such a short time…but whenever I've pictured you 'at home' all these years, I've pictured you here. I guess I'm just having a hard time picturing you 'at home' anywhere but here."

"It seems I need to remind my beautiful bride of something," he replied, taking her by the hand and leading her into the bedroom. Placing her in front of the mirror on the back of the closet door, he stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders. "Sarah, from the moment you said that you'd be my wife, you became my home. There's an old song from an Elvis movie called 'Home Is Where The Heart Is', well my heart belongs to you and anywhere you are is 'home'. So from now on, whenever you want to picture me at home, I want you to see yourself…alright?"

Smiling as the tears of happiness slid down her cheeks, she was too choked up to speak. Placing her hands over his on her shoulders, she nodded and he understood that he'd never have to tell her that again. She now knew that to AJ 'home' was where love resided and she was going to make sure that he always saw that as her!

They made love slowly and tenderly that night before bed. Then in the morning could not pass up one last chance to have each other in AJ's awesome shower. Locking the door for the last time, they walked towards the Escalade arm in arm. Calling Dammit to join them they were on the road just as the sun was coming up.

Even though they stopped several times for food and gas along the way, and made sure that before they were too tired to pursue 'honeymoon activities' they stopped for the night. They still found themselves pulling into San Diego late Thursday night.

They checked in at the base because they were going to stay there until they found a house to purchase, and called the realtor first thing in the morning so they could start the house hunting. The woman had a hard time believing that a newlywed couple truly wanted a five or six bedroom house, but she showed them every one that she had on her listing book. It was Sunday afternoon when they pulled up at an old Victorian home that both of them felt said 'home' to them. The inside needed some work, but AJ was handy and was looking forward to doing the work himself while Sarah was at work. They made an offer and by Tuesday morning knew that the house would be theirs.

To be continued….


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

During the next ten years many things changed for the group of people that once considered themselves as part of the JAG family.

The First Year: Fall 2005 to Fall 2006

Two months after Harm and Mattie arrived in London Harm married Mattie's physical therapist, she was a pretty blue-eyed blonde named Sarit.

Three months after arriving in California, the Chegwidden's sent out their first 'birth' announcement. They had been going through the adoption book after finishing the classes and being approved, when AJ came across a sibling group that the agency had listed as 'must be placed together'. He turned to his wife, asking, "You were serious about having a large family weren't you darling?" Six weeks later they became the parents of Emily, Esme, Elysia, Ethan, and Evan.

Emily (10) is a healthy and active girl. She is sociable, bright and enjoys school, puzzles, arts and crafts, music, dancing and riding her bike. She is an articulate young girl who is not afraid to express her feelings. Under no circumstances should these children be separated.

Esme (8) is a healthy girl who is the second oldest of a sibling group of five. She keeps a diary, like her older sister Emily, and is equally bright and doing well in school. When there is conflict between the siblings, Esme tries to act as a mediator.

Elysia (7) the third sibling of this group, is a healthy girl. She is very sweet and responds to adults. For her birthday, she would like a diary like her older sisters.

Ethan (9) is the oldest boy of this sibling group. Healthy, he is a very active child and also loving and responsive to adults. Although he is shy on occasion, he will stand up for himself.

Evan (3) is the youngest of this sibling set and he is very friendly toward adults. Whenever he watches his older siblings do school work, he'll pull a pencil and paper out and pretend that he is also going to school. Evan enjoys having a regular walk in the morning after his older siblings have left for school.

Four months after AJ and Mac's wedding Harriett gave birth to a pair of beautiful baby girls. They named them Theresa and Tamara.

Christmas that year was a very festive time, the Chegwiddens, all seven of them, arrived in Virginia to share the holiday with the Roberts' family. Even though they'd been invited to stay with Bud and Harriett, they felt that with three week old twins in the house, having seven house guests on top of it would be too much. So instead they took a suite at the Willard for the four days they would be in town. Bud and Harriett were as charmed by the five new Chegwiddens as AJ and Mac were by the Roberts twins.

Over Easter break from school Chloe headed to California to check out three schools she was considering attending in the fall. She arrived a week after AJ and Mac added the sixth and seventh child to their family. Steven and Suzie were brother and sister. Chloe was so taken with Suzie in the week that she was there that she changed her major from general studies to physical therapy.

Steven (5) Inquisitive, active, and enthusiastic best describe this young man. His smile will melt your heart and his bright eyes connect with you immediately. Currently, Steven and Suzie live in separate foster homes, as Suzie needs specialized medical care. However, they have a close bond that nobody can break. Whenever they are together, Steven showers his sister with endless affection and hugs. They will be able to thrive to their full potential if given a permanent family that they can call their own.

Suzie (7) has a big heart and loves being held and cuddled. She enjoys being with children her age. She responds well to praise and simple instructions. She is diagnosed with cerebral palsy, strabismus, hydrocephalus, and developmental delays. She uses a wheelchair for mobility, but has made tremendous strides in physical therapy and is now able to use a walker and can take a few steps independently.

As the year came to a close, word came from London that Harm and Sarit were divorcing. Chloe was accepted to the university of her choice, and Jen Coates finally admitted she was over her feelings for Harm and started dating Mike Roberts.

To be continued….


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The Second Year: Fall 2006 to Fall 2007

Chloe moved in with AJ, Mac, and their children.

Jen Coates and Mike Roberts became engaged.

Mattie Grace graduated high school and joined the Navy.

Francesca Paretti became THE top designer of the year.

The Third Year: Fall 2007 to Fall 2008

Jen and Mike get married, and at Christmas time announce that they are expecting.

Christmas is also a happy time for the Chegwidden's as they add their eighth child to the family.

Justin (1) is a sweet little baby with blond hair and blue eyes. He likes being held and cuddled. Justin needs a family who is strong enough and is equipped with utmost patience to care for a medically fragile baby.

In the early fall, Harm announced his marriage to Loretta, another blonde beauty he met in London.

Sturgis and Varise marry and he retires his commission to follow her on her tours as her manager.

The Fourth Year: Fall 2008 to Fall 2009

Chloe and Mattie both become engaged, although Mattie broke off hers when she discovers that her fiancée is cheating on her.

Jen and Mike have a baby boy that they name Rusty.

Francesca announces her plans to have a child, even though she is not planning to marry.

Lieutenant Jason Tiner graduated from law school and joined the ranks at JAG

The Fifth Year: Fall 2009 to Fall 2010

Harm starts drinking when Mattie is killed on duty. By the end of the year his marriage is on the rocks, and his career is looking like it is too.

Francesca falls in love with the man she had chosen for the father of her child and they get married even though she is still not pregnant.

During the summer, the Chegwidden family returned to Virginia to visit the Roberts family. While they are there they meet and fall in love with two more children, so they add Marta and Marcus to their family.

Marta (1) is a very alert and beautiful baby who has survived a lot of hardships in her young, delicate life. As a result, she has some medical issues that warrant specialized services. Marta will need a specially trained and committed family who care for her and her brother.

Marcus (2) is in good general healthy and developmentally on target. Marcus will also need to learn how to eat properly as he is having some challenges in this arena. Marcus loves his sister dearly and he will need to be adopted by a family who'll raise these siblings together.

Chloe graduates from college and marries her fiancé Donald Jacobs.

The Sixth Year: Fall 2010 to Fall 2011

During this low period in Harm's life, an old friend is transferred to London as well, and they met again. Skates had been his RIO when he'd returned to flight status several years ago, and the last he had heard from her was that she'd just gotten engaged. In the intervening years she had married and had two children. Her son was four and her daughter a year and a half. Seeing the depths her friend had sunk to, she determined to save his life just as he had once done for her. Insisting that he take any accumulated leave he had coming to him she rented a small château and told her husband that she would be back when Harm had dried out. During the month they spent at the château, she reluctantly gave in to his advances and even though she had never cheated on her husband before, she and Harm became lovers.

Both returned to duty and business as usual until three months later when she came to him and told him she was expecting his child. She assured him it was his, because after her daughter had been born her husband had a vasectomy. She told Harm that he was willing to forgive her infidelity and would raise the child as his as long as she swore never to have any contact with Harm ever again. Skates requested a transfer and after kissing Harm's cheek said a final good-bye.

Chloe, after spending a year in practice with an established firm, opened her own practice along with her husband. Her 'big sister' Mac couldn't have been prouder of her.

Bud Roberts after being passed over for promotion to Captain a second time had talked over his options with his always wonderfully understanding wife. Because it was summer, they took the two weeks leave time he had coming and the family went to San Diego to visit the Chegwidden's. AJ and Sarah were happy to open their home to their friends and once the reason they had come for a visit was revealed, talked with them honestly about the choice facing Bud. With the blessings and encouragement of their two favorite people, Bud chose to retire from the Navy and open his own law firm.

Shortly after Bud and Harriett returned to Virginia Sarah Chegwidden received notice that she had been promoted to General, and would be JAG of the Pacific. The entire family was moving to Hawaii.

To be continued….


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

The Seventh Year: Fall 2011 to Fall 2012

Just after the New Year AJ and Mac once again added to their family. Andrea became their eleventh child.

Andrea, (11) also known as "Andi," is a playful girl with a desire for a family. Andi is an animal lover. She also loves reading and always has a book going. Sports and art are also activities that bring a smile to Andi's face. Andi wants a mother and a father and would like to share her life with siblings. Her top "wish list" item is that she wants to be included, not feeling left out or forgotten. Andi will blossom in a forever family that provides structure, patience, and unconditional love.

Francesca announced that she was finally expecting. The doctor had told her it was twins and she cheerfully called her father to blame him for this since he was a twin himself. AJ laughed and gladly took the blame.

Harm married a beautiful blond with green eyes, named Bethany. They had met in rehab and were a wonderful support system for each other. As part of their program not to make any drastic changes in their first year of sobriety, they decided to wait until that one year anniversary before trying to have a child.

The Eighth Year: Fall 2012 to Fall 2013

The Rabb's anniversary passed and three months later came the announcement that they were expecting. Everyone was very excited for them. However, their sobriety was sorely tested when a month later Bethany miscarried. Two more miscarriages before the end of the year had them both falling off the wagon. After a night of heavy drinking for both of them, Bethany was driving them home when she wrapped the car around a lamppost. She was killed instantly and Harm spent the next two months in the hospital recovering. He left the Navy and returned to the States with no plans or, it seemed, any ambitions either.

Bud's law firm was doing very well. He attributed it all to his fantastic receptionist, a blonde beauty named Harriett Sims-Roberts. She, of course, told everyone that it was due to the legal skill of her handsome husband.

Mike and Jen Roberts became parents of another son and named him after Mike and Bud's father who had died earlier in the year.

Three of the first five of the Chegwidden children; Emily age 18, Ethan age 17, and the very bright Esme who was only 16 all graduated from high school. The girls were both going to start college in the fall. Emily was going to become a lawyer, and Esme an architect. Ethan, on the other hand, had decided to go into the Navy, even in the face of all the teasing from his mom, the Marine General!

With three of their eleven gone from the house, AJ and Mac couldn't resist adding one more to the family making an even dozen. Alaina joined the Chegwidden family.

Alaina (13) is a delightful child whose excitement and glee at the world becomes contagious. Her adoptive family must be patient, which will be rewarded for she has potential. Alaina struggles with ways to seek attention, and at time feels as though she can never get enough.

Francesca's twins were born healthy and happy and since she'd gotten one of each on the first try, she told her Papa there would be no more grandchildren. Baby Alberto and Marcella would be her only children.

As the year drew to a close, Bud got a call late one night to come and get his buddy, Harm from a bar. Even though he was drunk, he had just enough sense not to drive especially after what had happened to Bethany. Bud took him home, let him sleep it off, and then in the morning, put his foot down! If Harm would check into a rehab center Bud would take him into his law firm when he got out on the condition that Harm stay sober. That very afternoon Harm entered rehab.

To be continued….


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The Ninth Year: Fall 2013 to Fall 2014

In Virginia, Harm had dried out and was regularly attending AA meetings. He had joined Bud's law firm and things were going pretty well for him.

Word came down the line that Clayton Webb had been promoted. He was now the Director of the CIA.

Lieutenant Commander Jason Tiner was promoted to Commander and had become the hotshot lead attorney at JAG.

In California, the Chegwidden's were having a hard year. Suzie, their always 'medically fragile' child seemed to come down with every cold or flu virus that was going around. Her already delicate immune system was failing to keep up. She spent more time in the hospital than out, and by spring it was clear she would not make it. Suzie Chegwidden age fifteen died quietly in her sleep on May 1, 2014, just one month before her sister Emily's wedding was to be held.

The entire family was devastated and Emily talked of postponing the wedding, knowing they weren't up for such an occasion so soon after losing Suzie. AJ stepped in and had a talk with her. Death was a part of life, he told her, and it never seemed to come at a convenient time, but her sister wouldn't want Emily to put her happiness on hold because of her. So with a sad smile, Emily agreed that her dad was right and the wedding would go on as planned.

Late that summer, word reached the Chegwiddens that Mike Roberts had died on a mission. Because he'd been a SEAL, the details were sketchy at best, but his body was returned home to a hero's funeral.

Mac and AJ had flown back for the funeral, but they'd left Emily and her new husband watching the younger children so they couldn't stay in town longer. However, they did manage to see and catch up with several of their friends at the luncheon at Bud and Harriett's house after the service.

The Tenth Year: Fall 2014 to present

Elysia Chegwidden became the fourth child to leave the house. She made both her parents proud when she joined the United States Marine Corps!

AJ Roberts turned sixteen and got his driver's license. Both his parents now live in fear that every time he leaves the house they will get a call he was in an accident. Not that he was a bad or reckless driver; it was just the fear of parents everywhere when their child is growing up faster than they would wish.

No one was more surprised than Jen Roberts at how much help and comfort Harmon Rabb was to her and her two boys over the death of her husband Mike. She was reminded over and over again of the feelings that she had for him during their time together at JAG. Even though she had loved Mike deeply, she found that just four months after his death she was ready to start dating again, and the only one that she wanted to spend time with was Harm. But she knew of his past and was not about to let the same thing happen to her, so with some very clear talk, she laid down the law, telling him that he would tow the line with her or things would end before they went any farther. Harm, it seemed, had finally matured to the point that he was willing to take her threat seriously and confessed that he wanted an honest chance with her. He would do his best to see that she and the boys were happy and safe with him.

AJ Chegwidden had his seventieth birthday and his lovely wife of forty-seven made sure that he celebrated in bed…with her! Even though he was often mistaken for his children's grandfather when they were out together, rather than their father, he was still fit and vigorous for his age. None of the kids seemed to mind that their dad was older than their friend's fathers; they just took it in stride.

Just before Christmas that year, word came down that Mac was to be promoted again from Brigadier to Major General. She would be heading back to Virginia to take over for General Creswell who was retiring. There would be another Chegwidden as the Judge Advocate General, but this time it would be Major General Sarah Chegwidden.

So they packed up the seven children still living at home and left Hawaii behind. Alaina and Steven were now fifteen, Andrea was fourteen, Evan was thirteen, Justin and Marcus were seven and little Marta was just six.

To be continued….


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Mid December 2014

McLean, Virginia

Because the house had been leased in September of 2005, the Baxter's had just renewed it for another year that fall. That meant if the Chegwidden's didn't want to break the lease, the house in McLean would be unavailable to them for another nine months. However since they were still a family of nine, and had hopes that their other children would visit whenever they could, a two-bedroom ranch style house no longer suited their needs.

AJ contacted the realtor that was still handling the property for him and explained they wanted a large enough place to rent until they had a chance to look around the area and assess their options. As Mac spent the first week back getting them settled into the rental house and registering the children for school, AJ dealt with the housing issue. Checking over his property in McLean, he discovered a new road had been put in on one side of his land. The Jamison house was gone and in its place was a new two-lane road.

That evening he broached an idea to Sarah, they loved McLean and wanted to live there if at all possible, and since his property there consisted of ten acres, AJ proposed that they sell the current house and an acre of land to the Baxters. The couple loved the place and had taken wonderful care of it over the years they had leased it. The lease money paid thus far would go towards the sale price, Mac agreed to the idea wholeheartedly.

With the access to the side of his land that the new road afforded them AJ suggested they build a new house big enough for the whole family and any visitors they might have. Mac eagerly accepted the idea and was overjoyed when he told her that the contractor that had created the much loved bathroom in his original house was still in business and willing to work on the new house.

Glad that was all settled before she reported for her new job, Mac happily kissed all the children, who were still gathered around the breakfast table, good-bye. Their father would see them off to school shortly, but before that he grabbed a coat and walked her out to her car. They had decided it would be too expensive to bring their cars back from Hawaii with them, so sold them there and planned to buy new ones once they were settled in Virginia.

Telling his wife they needed more milk for the morning, AJ had gone into town the night before and returned Sarah's rental. In the driveway that morning sat a brand new 2015 cherry red corvette with a large bow on top. "Happy early Christmas present wife!" he grinned at her stunned expression.

Both of them stood there thinking of that day just over ten years ago when they had discovered their feelings for each other, and the fact that they had almost celebrated that discovery on the hood of her Vette out in the open for anyone to see!

AJ was remembering how the teenage boy had come upon them and made a lewd comment about how good Mac might be in bed. He hadn't known the truth of that remark until later that night, but over the last ten years their passions had never failed to be fulfilled.

Mac stood there and scenes from the past flew through her mind. First was Harm's Vette and all the problems he'd had with it, then almost at the same time he'd switched to an SUV and she'd bought her Vette. The day she and AJ confessed their feelings for each other rang clearly in her mind and if it wouldn't have made her late for her first day as JAG she would have pushed him down on that hood right there and then.

Suddenly she snapped out of her shock and exclaimed, "ALBERT JETHRO CHEGWIDDEN! What have you done?!"

Wincing at the use of his full name, something he'd always hated, he nonetheless was ready to forgive her the instant she threw herself into his arms. Kissing him soundly, Sarah turned and was back out of his arms as quickly as she'd gotten into them. Now, even he had to admit, that at seventy he had slowed down just a bit, but he was sure that as fast as she'd come and gone from his arms, he wouldn't have been able to capture her twenty years ago.

She was running her hands lovingly over the car and then in a fit of girlishness he rarely ever saw from his kick-ass Marine wife, she grabbed the green bow off the roof and wrapped it around herself while dancing around the yard. With a giggle, she danced over to him and placed the bow in his hands with a quick kiss and a whisper in his ear, she hopped into the car and was gone.

To be continued….


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Standing there in the driveway, with the bow in his hands and a grin on his face, AJ wondered what he might have to offer Harriett to watch the children for the night. It wasn't that the two fifteen year olds couldn't be trusted to sit for the others if he and Sarah wanted to go out for an evening on their own, they'd actually been doing just that for over a year now. No, it was Sarah's comment as she left that made him want the house to themselves that night!

Going into the house he got the children off to school and then picked up the phone to ask an old friend a favor. "Harriett, I know it's an imposition, but is there any chance at all that you might be able to watch the children for a few hours tonight?"

"We would love to have them over! You know that we feel we never get to see enough of you and them! Is there something special going on?" she questioned.

"Just would like a little private time with my wife," AJ chuckled.

"Oh! In that case I think that I will ask for a return of the favor some night as payment!" she laughed along with him.

"Done!" he agreed readily.

"Is Mac looking forward to sitting in your old chair?" Harriett asked, changing the subject.

"She said she was," he answered. "And then she told me all the old fantasies that she had of the two of us in that office when we were working together. I just might have to surprise that wife of mine and drop in for lunch some time!"

"I'm sure that she would love it!" Harriett laughed in response.

They ended the call after a few more minutes and AJ did a quick run through of the house. He was proud of the fact that they had taught their children well and there was very little mess at all. Their beds were all made and there were no wet towels lying around, about the only thing out of place was a toy or two that had been dropped in place as they made the last dash for the door and the school bus. He had loved being a stay at home dad, but had to admit that now Marta was in school it was nice to have the house quietly to himself after they were all out the door.

Grabbing the keys to his rental, he headed into town to do some errands and see about trading in the mid-sized sedan for a vehicle that was more his style. It would still have to be large enough to hold the whole family since he'd bought Sarah the Vette. His vehicle would have to be the 'family' car. That accomplished, he was looking for somewhere to have lunch when he spotted a costume shop with a costume in the window that reminded him of a conversation that he and Sarah had just before they were married. With a chuckle he went in to the store and stunned the clerk with the rental of the year! Putting the boxed up costume in the black 2015 Escalade with extended cab that he had just purchased, he found a small diner for lunch.

Finding that the florist that he had always used when he lived there before was still in business, he bought flowers for his wife and then made a stop at the grocery store so he could make her favorite meal for her that night. The stage would be set for seduction, for the entire evening, not just for after the children were in bed, as he was sure she was thinking. He wanted to surprise her with the fact that they were going to have a childless night.

The kids got home from school and changed into play clothes as instructed; he piled them into the new Escalade and stopped to pick up a couple of pizzas on the way to the Roberts home. Dropping off seven children on a family that already had four, made him feel a bit guilty, but he reassured himself that Harriett could handle anything. Reminding her of his promise to return the favor anytime she wanted, he left to prepare for Sarah's homecoming from her first night at work. He hoped that she wouldn't be too tired for what he had planned!

To be continued….


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Major General Sarah Chegwidden arrived at JAG Headquarters that morning and thought how it felt like coming home, especially since she was tooling through the guard gate in a cherry-red Vette. She loved her early Christmas present. She was used to AJ's thoughtfulness and consideration, but she had no idea he was going to do something like this! A giggle escaped her lips as she remembered the look on his face when she told him how she planned on thanking him that evening.

Their sex life had always been a healthy and active one, and even though AJ had turned seventy over the summer, the two of them still jogged together three times a week. Many times they had several of the children running with them. Evan had always loved going for walks from the first day he'd arrived in their home at the age of three, and quickly became an avid runner. He was the one that accompanied his adoptive parents any chance he could.

Shaking off thoughts of home, she grabbed her briefcase and cover. After locking her brand new car, she headed into the building. Stepping off the elevator into the dimly lit bullpen, she paused a moment letting the memories wash over her. It had been ten years since she'd been there, but very little had changed. The desks were rearranged and she was sure the place had been painted even if it still was the same uninspiring white.

With a sigh she crossed the still empty bullpen and entered the break room to start a pot of coffee. Here she found changes, the old brown cupboards had been replaced with open faced white shelves, and there was a larger fridge as well as a new microwave. But most important was the large coffee maker sitting there on the counter ready for someone to start the first pot of the day. A smile teased her lips as she made it to her taste. She wondered if there was anyone in the office these days that liked it as strong as she did. Only AJ had in the old days.

Pouring a large mug full, she made her way to her office. Mac wondered if she could get AJ to drop by one day, they could lock the door and fulfill some of the fantasies she'd had of the two of them and that great big desk!

Thirty minutes later she heard movement in the outer office and went out to see who had arrived. The Petty Officer jumped a foot when the door opened. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you Petty Officer," Mac smiled at the young man who stood there with his hand over his heart gasping. 'He'd have been dead if I was the enemy!' she thought, trying not to giggle at his discomfort.

"Oh General! I had no idea you were already here! I was told you liked to come in early so I thought if I was here at 0730 I'd be here to greet you when you arrived."

"Don't sweat it Petty Officer…" she paused for him to fill in his name.

"Miller, Ma'am…Peter Miller."

"Alright Miller, I usually will be here at 0700, but unless something major is going on there's no need for you to be here that early."

"Thank you, Ma'am!" he was clearly relieved to hear that. "I also made a fresh pot of coffee if you'd like some. Someone left the pot brewing overnight it seems from the sludge I found in it this morning!"

Mac couldn't control her laughter and was just about to correct the younger man when a voice from the past beat her to the punch. "Miller, you just poured out the General's coffee!"

Spinning on her heel, Mac saw AJ's first yeoman when he arrived at JAG. "TINER!" she exclaimed and forgetting or just plain ignoring protocol, she reached out and hugged him. With a happy laugh he returned her embrace.

Miller stood there looking shocked, trying to recover; he stuttered out, "I'm sorry about the coffee, Ma'am! I didn't think anyone drank it that strong on purpose!"

"It's alright, Miller," Mac replied, backing up just a bit from Jason Tiner. "I think it might be a good idea if I brought in a small pot of my own. It might be my only chance not to keep getting it dumped." Turning back to the rooms other occupant, she said, "You're looking great Tiner! And a Commander now too! Congratulations!"

"Not only that, I'm you're Chief of Staff too, as long as you have no objections," he answered her, standing taller and straighter as he said it.

To be continued….


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"I don't mind that at all! In fact it's great! Okay, I'll let you get back to things and see you later at the staff meeting. Miller, come with me. I have some notes for you already," Mac instructed as she turned back to her office.

Tiner turned away with a smile, glad that she had so readily accepted him as her Chief of Staff. He knew that she'd remember him as the bumbling kid he used to be. Shaking his head as he made his way to the office that used to be hers, Jason still couldn't get over the fact that the Major Mackenzie he used to know was married to Admiral Chegwidden and have been for ten years now! If rumors were to be believed, they had something like a dozen kids too!"

Mac and Jason met in the bullpen as the two of them headed to the conference room for the staff meeting and she took the time to try and catch up with him. "How are things going for you now, Tiner?" she asked.

"Well, I'm married and we have a daughter that will be three on Christmas day. Her name is Carol, I wouldn't let Tina name her Holly or Ivy!" he laughed.

She laughed along with him and that was how they entered the conference room. Her new staff found themselves hoping that their new JAG was going to be a bit friendlier to work with than their last one was. They had all heard the story of how the then Colonel Mackenzie had married the newly retired Admiral Chegwidden, however, no one but Tiner had ever met either of them.

Jason asked her if she would like him to introduce the staff to her and was pleased when she gave him the go-ahead. Lieutenant Commander Paula Greer, she was in her early thirties with dark hair and eyes, Paula stood just over six feet tall and had a very stern look about her. Major Michael Carlisle, or 'Mike the Marine' as he called himself, once again there was only one in the office other than Mac herself, was blonde with light brown eyes and freckles, he was in his late twenties. Lieutenant Jeri Reed was a pretty blue-eyed blonde in her mid twenties. 'She would have been just Harm's type,' Mac found herself thinking. Lieutenant Alex Thomas was also in his mid twenties with black hair and mustache; he was built like a football player, down right huge! But the most striking thing about him was his intense blue eyes.

After greeting everyone with a hand shake, personal word or two, and a smile, Mac got down to business. Asking for and getting briefings on current cases she then passed out the new cases. She had spent her time that morning going over the personal files of her new staff. She valued the reports of her predecessors, but wanted to form her own opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of her people.

Leaving on the dot of 1700 hours Mac got her first call of 'Attention on Deck' from her new yeoman. She smiled her, "As you were," as she crossed the bullpen.

Knowing that it would be rare she got to leave that early in the future, she was still glad that Creswell had left everything so well caught up that she could today. Some of it might have had to do with the change in Jason Tiner as well. He was no longer the goofy kid that she once knew. Instead, in his place, was a responsible and capable young man. Mac was looking forward to working with him and telling AJ all about him.

Tonight she had a promise to keep with her husband as soon as the children were in bed. Right now though, she was looking forward to the dinner she knew AJ would have ready for her and hearing how well the kids' first day at the new schools had gone.

The drive home was a pleasant one, just long enough to unwind from a stressful day, not that today had been, but she was sure there would be plenty in her future as JAG.

To be continued….


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Mac pulled the Vette into the driveway and couldn't stop an indulgent grin from crossing her face. She wondered if AJ were trying to relive younger days, but since the time in question was only ten years ago, she had to dismiss that idea. But nonetheless, there sat a black Escalade in the driveway in front of her Vette. Except for the year, they were the same vehicles they'd owned when they'd lived there before. Planning to ask AJ his reasoning whenever she could get a quiet moment, she started into the house.

It struck her as she entered, that their house had only been this quiet when all the children were asleep and since it wasn't even 1800 hours, she knew something was up. Seeing or hearing no one as she made her way through the house caused her not to be totally surprised when she peeked into the dining room and saw one end of the long table set for two with candles already adding a romantic glow.

Letting her nose lead her to the kitchen after depositing her briefcase and cover on the hall table she found AJ just taking something out of the oven. "What have you done with my children!?" she asked with a mock frown.

Looking at her with an evil grin, he replied, "Yours are locked in the cellar, but I dropped mine off at Bud and Harriett's."

"Ah! Wonderful plan!" she praised and then tried to snitch a nibble from the casserole dish he'd placed on top of the stove.

"Stop that woman! Go in and sit down and I'll serve you in less than five minutes," he promised.

"I'll hold you to that!" she warned. "You know my time sense is still in perfect working order."

Shaking his head he shooed her from the room. He had never been able to find out how she did that, but simply relied on her to always be right about time issues.

The meal was as wonderful as the aroma had promised. They ate leisurely, talking about their days. She told him about the coffee fiasco. He told her that the contractor could break ground for the new house next week if the warm spell held. She told him about Tiner being her Chief of Staff. He told her what the kids had said about their new schools.

When she ran out of news, she remembered to ask him about the vehicles. AJ laughed and told her it had just been a whim. She reminded him that she still wanted to thank him properly for her wonderful gift.

"That is what I was hoping for when I got rid of the children! Harriett asked me what the occasion was for keeping the kids. I told her I wanted to ravish you. She told me that she might just have a similar occasion where we could return the favor sometime next week."

"I hope you told her that would be fine with us?"

"I did my love, and this afternoon when I was in town I saw something that reminded me of a conversation we had before we were married. If you're finished eating, why don't you go and change into the outfit you promised me and I'll change too?"

"There's no need for you to change clothes darling. I will just strip anything you have on off anyway!"

"I know, but a promise is a promise and this one has been a long time in being carried out," he told her mysteriously.

Still having no idea what he was talking about, she decided to go with the flow and after a quick kiss, headed to their bedroom to change. AJ quickly cleared the table and then went to the guest room where the costume box was waiting for him to do the same.

Several minutes later they met in the living room. She was dressed only in the large green bow that had been on her new car, and he was wearing a fuzzy pink 'Energizer Bunny' costume. Mac took one look at him and doubled over in laughter, dropping her bow in the process.

To be continued….


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Through a chuckle, AJ told his gasping wife, "Well, Mrs. Chegwidden, if I'd known it was this easy to get you to drop what you were wearing, I would have donned a bunny suit twenty years ago!"

Mac thought she had herself under control until she looked up from her bent over position and once again saw in him in that silly pink suit. She was off again, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her cheeks. When she could finally put words together, she demanded, "Why in the world are you wearing a bunny costume? It's almost Christmas not Easter!"

"I'm hurt you don't remember…but then you are getting close to fifty and they say that the memory is the first thing to go…" At her glare, he grinned and went back to answering her question, "When we were first together I was teasing you about being tired and you made a comment about my inability to do anything more either. However, when you found out differently you…"

She interrupted him, "I made a comment about the Energizer Bunny."

"Yes, and when I was in town today they had this costume in the shop window. I couldn't resist being in my own 'special outfit' since you were going to give me the same treat. However, I think I was cheated since you had yours on for such a short time," he teased eyeing her naked form and the bow lying on the living room floor.

Straightening up, she struck a seductive pose before bending to pick up her bow. Her action was conducted almost in slow motion and geared to get the utmost response from him. She'd turned her back to him and then bent at the waist, with her feet shoulder width apart she was perfectly on display in this manner. Just to make sure he hadn't misunderstood her intent, she gave her six a deliberate wiggle. His groan told her that he had clearly gotten her message.

Slowly unbending she turned to face him holding the bow in front of her. Sarah smiled as she saw the evidence of how her actions thus far had been affecting him. Delivering her own version of the old saying in a sexy voice, she asked, "Is that a carrot in your pants, or are you horny for me Big Bunny?"

AJ's shout of laughter reminded them both of the humor that had always been a part of their love life. Their children had all learned that if mom and dad's bedroom door was closed, you'd better knock before entering, no matter what time of the day it was. AJ and Mac had stopped counting the number of times they'd been interrupted while making love during their first year of marriage.

Affection was something openly displayed in the Chegwidden household, both between mom and dad and towards the children. It wasn't uncommon to be walking through a room and become the victim of a 'hug attack'. Because of this, every one of their children felt special and very loved.

But for the present, there were no children at home, hence no one to interrupt them. AJ moved quickly across the room and belying his age, swept his sexy wife up into his arms to carry her into their bedroom. Tossing her onto the bed he laughed as he watched her gasp and bounce a few times before coming to a rest.

To be continued….


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The enticing sight before him was one AJ knew well. His only decision now was whether to tease and taunt her as she had been doing to him or give her what she wanted so desperately right there and then. One way or the other, they would both be completely satiated before they slept.

She knew what he was up to and exactly why he was doing it, but it didn't make it any easier to endure, even if she knew that the ultimate outcome would be well worth the wait.

To be continued….


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

"Speaking of that…the bunny suit was an inspired idea, maybe you should buy it so we always have it around!" she teased with a wink.

"I have a feeling that we've gotten the surprise value out of the suit by now, and I think we do pretty well without it!" was his comeback.

"You're right of course," she admitted. "Now are you ready for round two, so we can get a short nap in before one of us has to go and get the kids?"

"Yup," he told her, then added, "But how will we decide who goes to get them?"

"We could flip a coin," she offered.

AJ laughed and said, "Sounds like a plan." Both of them, while not wanting to be mean to the other still didn't want to be the one to get dressed and make the long two way drive, especially when some of the kids would already be asleep at Bud and Harriett's and would have to be awakened to get them into the car for the drive home.

After making love and getting in a short nap, AJ got out of bed to go to the dresser. He kept a small dish there that he dumped his change into so it wouldn't rattle around in his pockets. Picking up a quarter, he looked at Mac still lying in their warm bed, "Call it," he instructed as he flipped the coin into the air.

"Heads," she giggled, with a leer, since he was standing there in the buff.

Distracted by her suggestiveness, he missed catching the quarter and it landed on the shag carpet. With a chuckle, he insisted that she had to come and see the result.

Figuring that meant it was her that had lost the toss and he wanted her to see the confirmation for herself, she got out of bed and walked over to him. There was the coin, caught and held in the thick fibers of the carpet. It was on its edge!

Shaking her head and sighing she said, "Well, as I see it, we have two options. We could toss the thing again, or we could just leave the kids with Bud and Harriett telling them they won them in the secret lottery we held."

Laughing, AJ replied, "There is a third option…we could both go and get them…after all we did go to all the trouble of adopting them and moving them here. If we were just going to get rid of them this quick after moving back, we could have just left them in Hawaii."

With a beleaguered sigh she answered, "I guess you're right," and headed for the closet to get some clothes to wear. AJ did the same.

To be continued….


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The drive to Bud and Harriett's was mostly a silent one, not only were both of them tired, but they were basking in the afterglow of great sex. They pulled into the Roberts' driveway and saw the living room curtain pull back and one of their kids peek out.

Bud had the door open before they reached it and was laughing about something. As Mac and AJ entered the house they heard Steven and Alaina, their two fifteen year olds, arguing. "Come on pay up! I said they'd be here before midnight and it's only…"

"2354," Mac interrupted.

"See, Mom always knows the exact time it is! You always set your watch ten minutes fast so you're not late Alaina. It doesn't mean that everyone else goes by that time! You owe me a dollar!"

"I do not!" she protested. "It's so close to midnight that it hardly counts!"

"Not that I approve of you gambling, but we have also taught all of you to honor your commitments. Was the bet that we would be here before midnight?" AJ asked his newest daughter.

"Yeah, we were trying to figure out just how much sex you guys would get in before you remembered that we had school tomorrow and come and get us."

Harriett had been standing quietly in the background during this exchange, but blushed profusely when both AJ and Mac saw Bud hand her a dollar.

"You two go up and get the rest of the children up, your mom and I need to have a talk with the Roberts'," AJ instructed.

Both of them mumbled, "Yes Sir," and did as they were told. As they went up the stairs, the adults saw Alaina hand Steven his winnings. Mac had been able to hold her laughter until her children had disappeared upstairs, but not a second longer. She was almost doubled over at the guilty looks on Bud and Harriett's faces.

"So, the two of you were betting on our sexual activities too?" AJ questioned, trying to keep his 'Admiral's' face.

"Yes Sir!" Bud was the first to cave in. "The kids were telling us how the two of you are always 'going at it' and even Harriett said that you had told her you wanted to 'ravish your wife'," he stopped suddenly at AJ's stern look.

"So, what was 'your' bet?" he demanded.

"The same as the kids Sir."

"And you bet against me Bud?" AJ asked with a sigh of regret.

"Well yes, Sir, I mean…it's not that I thought you couldn't do that at your age, it was just that it was way longer than…I mean you are _seventy_ Sir! But to tell you the truth, I'm glad I lost the bet! I mean…if you're still going that strong at seventy then there might be hope for me too when I get to that age!" Bud finally ran out of steam and stopped talking.

Mac had almost controlled her laughter up until the point where Bud gave his reason for being glad to lose the bet, and it didn't help at all when AJ patted the younger man on the shoulder and simply said, "Thank you, son."

"And don't forget that you promised to sit for us sometime next week so we can have an evening free to do the same!" Harriett reminded them cheerfully.

"We won't forget, my dear," AJ told her. "You just let us know what night Bud might be up to it," he teased.

Bud stood there in open-mouthed amazement that his former CO was teasing him about his sexual abilities when his own wife shocked him even more by suggesting, "Maybe you could give him some pointers AJ!" Harriett had long ago gotten out of the habit of calling AJ 'Sir'. It was still hard for Bud to remember even though neither of them was in the military any longer.

"I didn't think you had any complaints, Harriett!" Bud stuttered, wondering if his masculine prowess was coming into question.

Harriett was trying to reassure him that he always kept her satisfied when the Chegwidden children came trooping down the stairs. The three youngest were being carried by the teens, since they were too groggy to walk.

"Well, I think it's time to get these kids into their own beds," Mac spoke up and started hustling them out the door. She and AJ each took one of the little ones, leaving only Steven to carry out the other.

By the time they reached McLean all seven of the kids were asleep. Their parents hated to wake them, but knew sleeping in the car wasn't wise either. Only waking the four older children, AJ, Mac, and Steven carried the younger ones into the house. Everyone was in bed and asleep by 0100 hours.

To be continued….


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Because they'd had a large family gathering at Thanksgiving, Mac and AJ knew that it would be too soon for the ones that had moved out to fly to Virginia for Christmas this year. So, it was with a certain sadness that their plans this year would only be for the nine of them.

Bud and Harriett had been quick to include the Chegwidden's in all of their holiday plans. Mac and AJ had gratefully accepted, knowing that having the Roberts' four around would help ease the pain of their brothers and sisters not being there.

On the bright side, they learned that Francesca's plans with her in-laws had changed so she and her family would fly in for the holiday weekend.

Mac's first week as JAG had gone very well, and without any major problems. She and Tiner worked well together and Mac repeatedly told AJ what a fine officer and lawyer he'd become. AJ teased her, saying that it was because Tiner had served under him all those years ago. His loving wife just rolled her eyes and replied, "Sure!"

During that same week, AJ had been meeting with the contractor finalizing plans for the new house. Everything was moving right along according to plan.

On Saturday Harriett called to ask if AJ and Mac would be available to take her three younger children the next evening. They readily agreed and were told that AJ would drive them over. Young AJ had a study date with Katie his chemistry lab partner, however he had been told to call the Chegwidden's to see if his siblings were still there when he was done. If they were, he was to go there and could bring them home with him after his parents called with the 'all clear'.

Sunday night the younger six children were all in bed asleep when AJ got back from his study date. He joined the four Chegwidden teens in the kitchen for a late night snack. The older AJ and Mac had the same idea and arrived in the hall leading to the kitchen just in time to hear…

"You know it's just gross to think of your parents having sex!" Andi announced.

Sixteen year old AJ replied, "Yeah, but if they hadn't, then none of us would be here."

"Gosh, you're dumb!" Andi taunted. "We're all adopted, mom and dad didn't have to have sex to get us. All they had to do was some paperwork!"

"But someone somewhere had to have sex for you to get here dufus! Or do you think you were grown in a lab…wait…in your case that's probably true!"

"NO-SIR!" she shouted and the adults heard a chair crash to the ground.

Before they could get into the room they heard Steven say, "Hey, you two, knock it off!"

"Yeah, dad taught us not to hit girls! Didn't yours?" Evan demanded.

Steven was standing between Andi and AJ when his parents got into the room. It appeared as if he were trying to keep them apart while not getting hit himself.

"Break it up!" both Mac and AJ ordered in unison in their best 'military' voices. Their children, and it seemed, so did AJ Roberts, recognized that tone of voice and immediately froze in place.

The adults looked at each other and silently tried to figure out who would be best to deal with this situation. AJ wanted to see how Sarah would handle it, so nodded at her to go ahead.

She gave him a wink that only he saw and turned to the kids, "Alright, while it may be fun to speculate on the sex lives of others, we, and Bud and Harriett, are still your parents and due some respect as such. From now on you will refrain from betting and discussing our private lives! And as for the adoption part of the argument, remember your father and I always told you that to be adopted meant that you were Chosen. Parents of natural children had to take what they got. No offence on you AJ, your parents came out pretty good in the kids that they got! Now, onto the problem of the fighting, physical violence should always be the last resort to solve an issue, not the first. Andi you have been taught that in the time you have been with us!"

Mac waited for her daughter's 'Yes Ma'am,' before continuing, "As such, you will be grounded for a week…yes, I know Christmas is coming up!" she said at the protest that she saw in her eyes, "But you brought this on by fighting! So, as such you will go only places that the entire family is going or on school planned events. I'm sorry if that puts a cramp in your holiday, but you children all know the consequences of fighting!"

Looking at her father for help, Andi pleaded, "Daddddddy…please make mom change her mind!"

To be continued….


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

AJ stood firm in the face of his daughter's sad eyes, "I'm sorry, honey, but your mom is right, you all know that we won't tolerate fighting. I am with her on this one, and if you keep trying to change our minds, you just might end up with two weeks of grounding instead of one!"

Mac watched Andi mentally back down from any further protests, and was just about to step in to change the subject when the phone rang. It was Bud saying that they could send the kids home now. With a grin and the exhaustion she heard in his voice, she turned to AJ and said, "That was your dad, and he said for you to come home. Meanwhile, it's time for the rest of you to be in bed, you do all have school tomorrow."

As the token protests faded away with the children climbing the stairs, Mac and AJ looked at each other and sighed, another crisis averted. "You don't really think I was too harsh on her do you?" she asked him.

"No I don't, you were fine," he replied.

"Thanks," she smiled her answer, and before the conversation could go any farther, they heard AJ and his siblings coming down the stairs. Helping him get them into the car and giving the customary cautions to 'drive safely' the two of them saw the children off.

On Tuesday AJ watched them break ground for the new house. The proposed finish date was the end of January, if the weather didn't hold them up.

As the holiday drew closer, they got another call from Francesca. This time it was to say that her plans had altered again. With the frustration evident in her tone of voice, she told her Papa that Tony's parents had second thoughts about the Christmas cruise they'd planned to take and because they would now be staying in town. They wanted their only son and his family to be with them. She told AJ how sorry she was, but they were going to stay in Italy for the holiday. AJ reassured her that he understood even though they would be sorry not to see them.

Since the 23rd fell on Friday, the JAG offices would be closing at noon. AJ decided that would be the perfect time to surprise his wife with a visit to her office. The children would also be out of school, but the younger three would be at a Christmas party in the school gym until 1500. The teens would be fine at home for a couple of hours until their parents returned.

Arriving at Falls Church and the gate for JAG Headquarters was odd. He was treated as any other visitor and because there had, as yet, been no need to leave his name at the gate, they had to call up to General Chegwidden's office to get permission to let him in. There went his surprise.

After parking the Escalade, AJ headed for the door. Just as he reached out for the handle, it opened and Commander Jason Tiner hurried out.

Seeing who stood before him, he came to an abrupt stop and snapped to attention, adding a salute too. He did it out of respect for his former CO, rather that a habit. "Good afternoon, Sir!"

"Not 'Sir' any longer Jason, just AJ these days, but thank you. Congratulations on making Commander!"

"Thank you Si…AJ. May I say that working with General Chegwidden has been an honor?"

"I know she's pleased to have you as her Chief of Staff as well, son."

"That's good to know! Well, I should let you get in there, I'm sure she is looking forward to your visit. I hope the two of you have a very Merry Christmas."

"The same to you and your family Jason. It was good to see you again."

"And you as well!" Jason replied and headed for his car with a smile on his face.

A few minutes later AJ stepped off the elevator to find a deserted bullpen. The only light was coming from his old office. Because the door was open he figured he'd find Sarah finishing up some last minute paperwork before she was ready to leave. The reality of what he actually found when he stood in the open doorway was almost enough to have caused a heart attack!

To be continued….


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

There was the Judge Advocate General of the Navy and Marine Corps, Major General Sarah Chegwidden, lying on the desk that used to be his. She was as naked as the day she was born! Smiling as she watched the look on her husband's face.

Shaking his head as if to clear his mind enough to be able to speak, AJ asked, "Is this a private moment or can anyone join in?"

With a grin, she answered, "Well, I don't want just _anyone_ joining in, but if you close that door we could have a private moment together."

Doing as she asked, AJ was already undressing as he crossed the room. "You know with that door open, someone else could have seen…this," he said spreading his hands wide to indicate the scene on the desk.

"No, I told everyone to clear out at noon for the holiday and after the guard called up to get clearance to let you in, I went out there to make sure everyone was gone. Only Tiner was still there and I told him if his six wasn't on the elevator in one minute, he would be handling all the budget reviews for the next five years. He cleared out so fast, even I was impressed."

"I met him at the door downstairs, and he did seem to be in a hurry."

She chuckled and replied, "He's gotten smarter with age."

Finally out of his clothes, AJ stood next to his wife on the desk and asked, "Do you have any idea how many of my fantasies were of you and this desk?"

With a blissful sigh, she answered, "Probably less than the number of times I fantasized about it!"

"I doubt that my love," he told her.

To be continued….


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Mac laughed as a wild thought struck her. When AJ paused in his efforts to gather up his clothes to ask her what was so funny, she explained, "I was just wondering what the SECNAV would have thought if he had this office bugged…"

"That's not even funny, Sarah!" he glared at her.

"You're right…and it's much more likely that Webb would have done it rather than the SECNAV."

"He wouldn't have dared! I would have broken more than just his nose!" AJ growled.

"Oh AJ! My macho man!" she teased as she dressed. "So, do you think once a week might be enough to fulfill all our fantasies about this office?"

With a sexy leer he inquired, "And how do you think you'd explain that to your staff General Chegwidden?"

"Wow! Sex in the office once and I've gone from a Major to a General!"

He laughed, "Sarah, you were a Major General when I walked into this office!"

"So, I'm really not getting a promotion after all?" she sighed. "You just left the General off when you called me Major and I fell for it…"

"Rats! You figured me out. But one would think that a woman of your rank would know that a retired two star Admiral couldn't influence your promotion schedule any longer."

"Ah well…the sex was good anyway."

"Good?!" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay…better than good," she teased as she slid into her shoes. "Not to change the subject, darling, but are you still intent on going out and getting a tree with the children this evening?"

"Most certainly! Christmas isn't Christmas without a tree and the last few years in Hawaii we've had to get them from a lot. It's just not the same."

"But they were still real trees, not the artificial ones you're so against."

"Sarah, it always was a tradition in my family to go out and cut down our own tree. Every child should have that experience!"

"Darling, you have to remember that when I was growing up, our family tradition was seeing which parent would pass out in front of the TV first."

Taking her in his arms and kissing the top of her head as she snuggled close, he said, "I'm sorry you had that kind of childhood, Sarah, but remember we're giving our children better than that and you can live it with them."

"Then get moving, buster! You have a tree to go and chop down!" she ordered, stepping out of his arms and giving his ass a swat.

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"You know it's really too bad that we have both vehicles here. I'd love to ride home with you," she winked as she put her panties and pantyhose in her briefcase and snapped it shut.

With a groan, he said, "You're a wicked, wicked woman, Sarah Chegwidden."

"Yes I am!" she assured him picking up her briefcase and cover. "The least you can do is walk me to the Vette."

"You know, we're coming back into town tomorrow evening for the Roberts' party, we could pick up your Vette then…"

"I like the way you think!" she declared and they left the building arm in arm heading for the Escalade.

AJ waited until she was securely belted in before maneuvering through the guard gate. Informing the guard that the General would pick up her vehicle the next evening, they were on their way home. Mac waited until they were on the highway to hike up her uniform skirt and issued a silent invitation she knew her husband wouldn't be able to resist.

To be continued….


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

"I am SO glad that Harriett called and told you about the coin toss all those years ago!"

"So am I, Sarah. Do you think over the years we've thanked her enough for that?"

Laughing, Mac answered, "Yes I think so…the last time I mentioned it to her she sighed and said that I sounded like a broken record."

AJ laughed with her and asked, "Do you think it had something to do with the CD recording from 'Oliver' that we sent her on our last anniversary?"

"Oh I don't know…just because the song went on, 'Thank you very much, thank you very much…That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me'!?"

"Okay, so maybe we have," he responded.

They arrived home at just before the bus that dropped the younger children off from school, the four teens were already home and had come out on the porch in anticipation of the treat dad had promised them that afternoon. Mac smiled as they hardly waited for her to exit from the Escalade before they were piling in. Waving them off she promised that she would have pizza waiting for them when they returned from their adventure. AJ had let the Baxter's know that they were coming out to the property so they didn't worry when they saw the gang of them trooping through the woods behind the house. It took them over two hours to choose just the right tree, with seven opinions to consider at each choice that was pointed out, AJ wondered if this had been such a good idea after all, but finally the perfect one was picked out and they watched as he chopped it down.

Steven begged to be allowed to be the one to chop the one down for the next year and AJ, with an indulgent grin, promised that he would be able to. Marta was getting tired and whiney by the time they finished so AJ suggested that she ride on the tree on the way back. The two seven year old boys thought that looked like a lot of fun and wanted to as well, but AJ told them that this year it was Marta's treat. He let the older kids think that they were helping him to drag the tree to the Escalade, but, in truth, they were more of a hindrance that help, but they were having fun, so he didn't want to spoil it.

Their arrival at home was met with a gasp from Mac when she saw the size of the tree, and she called out, "How in the world do you think you are going to get that into this house, AJ Chegwidden!?"

The kids stood there laughing as he explained they were now going to have a 'Tree-Pull' party.

"What is that?" she demanded.

Tumbling over themselves to explain, what their father had already told them about on the ride home, the kids watched their mom's face as she eyed the tree and the front door they were going to try and pull the tree through.

"It's never going to fit!" she insisted.

"Oh ye of little faith!" her husband chided.

Twenty minutes later, and a lot of healthy sweat; the tree was standing in the front room. When AJ stood it up they realized that they were going to have to trim about a foot off of it. The point was bent over that far from touching the ceiling!

To be continued….


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

With the tree surgery finished and after placing it safely in the stand, they spent quite some time making sure the tree was straight before they would allow the children to start putting the ornaments on. Knowing that this would be their first holiday after moving back from Hawaii, Mac and AJ had made sure that the Christmas decorations were shipped back rather than put into storage until they had a place to live.

In between eating pizza and later the popcorn that was supposed to be strung for the tree, the nine of them worked on decorating the tree. Marta's ornament placement had to be supervised, but the rest of the children were doing a great job, even though a ladder had to be brought in to put the ornaments on the higher branches.

Every year, the person who would put the star on the top of the tree changed. Although it had been a Chegwidden tradition that the youngest family member would do it, AJ and Mac had realized that wasn't fair to the other children. So they had started letting the children have the honor in alphabetical order, if they adopted a new child they would just take their place in the rotation so no one was left out. This year it was Evan's turn.

The three younger children had just been bathed and put to bed when the phone rang that evening. It was Chloe, she told them she had big news and asked to be put on speaker phone so she could tell everyone at once. She and David had been trying for four years to conceive a child and her jubilant news was that she was finally pregnant! She was due in the early fall. Congratulations were called into the phone and she was left in no doubt how excited her family was for her. The only problem was that all the kids wanted the new baby named after them!

Late that night, after a very intense lovemaking session, AJ and Mac lay cuddled together in their bed. Mac sighed and said, "It's so hard not having everyone together this year for Christmas."

"I know, darling, but we knew that they would grow up and move out one day. We just need to comfort ourselves with how well they are all doing."

"Yes, I guess you're right," not wanting to dwell on it any more, she changed the subject, "How are you doing on the puppy situation?"

"Fine, I'll pick him up tomorrow and the Baxter's have agreed to keep an eye on him 'til we get home from the party. I'll go and get him when the kids are in bed."

"Wonderful, they'll be so happy. They miss Dammit so much."

"I think the only thing that kept that dog alive for as long as she was, was knowing how sad the kids would be when she went. She held on a long time."

"I know you're right. I still can't believe that she was almost twenty!"

"As near as the vet could tell when she found me, she was about five years old then, I had her two years before we got married, and she was with us until this past summer, so she had to be around seventeen."

"You could sure see it in how gray she was getting. Remember when Andi found out I colored my hair and suggested we do the same for Dammit?"

AJ chuckled, "Yeah that would have given Miss Clairol a whole new ad campaign!"

Mac giggled and agreed.

Getting seven children ready to go anywhere all at the same time was always a chore, but when you added in the fact that they were excited, it was the day before Christmas, and they were heading to a party, it became exponentially more difficult. Mac had finally reached the end of her patience and in her best Marine General voice bellowed, "Anyone who is not in the car and buckled in within the next ten minutes will be left behind!"

To be continued….


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

It was amazing the effect that threat had on the troops!

Steven found Marta's lost shoe and carried her out to the Escalade to put it on out there so they wouldn't be late.

Alaina decided that the dark blue hair ribbon would be just as good as the light blue one that was missing.

Evan took the fastest shower on record and ran out of the house still buttoning his shirt.

Justin and Marcus stopped fighting over the toy truck they both wanted to play with and instead raced each other down the stairs and outside.

Andrea, who had been ready all along, calmly strolled to the vehicle as if she had all the time in the world.

AJ watched in amusement as the children poured from the house suddenly ready to go. His wonderful wife sure had a way of motivating this mob!

Arriving at the Roberts' home they found that Harriett had learned the secret most mothers of children spanning several years had. The older children preferred not to have to be bothered by the younger ones if at all possible. So, to that end, she had given the basement game room to the teenagers and the younger children would be upstairs in the ten-year-old twins' playroom. The adults would run interference and keep the segregation, by stationing themselves on the main floor.

AJ and Jimmy Roberts grabbed the four older Chegwidden's as soon as they came through the door. After kisses and hugs from mom and dad, the three younger ones were sent upstairs to play with Theresa and Tamara. Bud took AJ into the den to show him the latest computer game he'd bought the boys for Christmas. The fact that it was already installed and running wasn't lost on AJ. Bud sheepishly explained that he was testing it out!

Mac volunteered to help out in anyway she could and Harriett put her to work carrying dishes and trays of food to the buffet in the dining room. It was set up so people could eat when they wanted and still wander around since it was all finger food.

"Mac, you do know that Jen and Harm have been seeing each other lately don't you?"

"Yes, you mentioned that in one of your emails before we moved back. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I didn't want things to be awkward. She's bringing him with her to the party. I didn't know how you would feel about it since you and Harm almost married."

"Oh Harriett! That was eons ago! All water under the bridge now. AJ and I are blissfully happy and after all the problems Harm has had over the last several years, he deserves some happiness. I just hope for Jen's sake he's ready for a serious relationship. I mean, she has the boys to consider and all…"

"Jen has her head on straight, and has done a lot of growing over the years. She was happy with Mike and brokenhearted at his death. But she had to be strong for the boys and is really doing well for herself. I don't think she'll let Harm get away with anything. If he really wants to be with her, he'll toe the line. The few times I've seen them together, they seem to be doing well, and he's good with the boys."

They had just finished putting out the food when Jason and Tina Tiner arrived with little three-year-old Carol. It was the first time Mac and AJ got to meet Jason's wife and daughter. They were all still standing in the front hall chatting when Jen and Harm arrived along with her two sons, Rusty age six and Buddy age two. All three of the children were sent upstairs to play as the adults settled in the living room.

The next hour was spent with everyone trying to catch up on all the happenings in each other's lives. So much had happened to the group that had once considered themselves family that they had much to share.

To be continued….


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The food was good and the conversation was pleasant. Every once in a while one or two of the teens would come up for more food and go right back downstairs to their music and games. Periodically one of the adults would go upstairs to check on the younger children and as they wound themselves down, would tuck one of them into any free bed. Before long all of the younger ones were asleep.

As the adults caught up on the goings on in their lives, something became clear to Harmon Rabb. He saw where everyone else was in their life and knew that he should have been there too. He was the one with fewest success stories to tell. The only thing he was proud of these days was that he had been sober for just over a year now. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for his friends; it was just that he was jealous of the lives that they were living.

He wondered, if he and Mac had married, if he could have made her as happy as she was, sitting there nestled in AJ's arms. Then there was Bud and Harriett. If it hadn't been for Bud's help and Harriett's encouragement he wouldn't even be here today. Entering Bud's law firm was the best thing that had happened to him in years. Well, that and Jen Roberts! Why hadn't he seen the potential in her years ago when they had been at JAG together?

She had even told him just last week that back then she had been in love with him. It was for that very reason he had taken a long hard look at his life and assessed what he wanted for his future. He had come to one conclusion; he wanted Jen and her boys in his life. He had gone out and bought her a ring in the hopes that she would say yes to being his wife. Now all he had to do was decide when would be the perfect time to ask her. He had been carrying the ring with him for the last three days, just waiting for the perfect moment.

Then it finally occurred to him that he could wait forever and not find the perfect time. In fact, what was wrong with right now? It would be taking a big chance of humiliation, if she turned him down in front of all their friends. However, from all indications he'd had from her lately, he really thought that she would say yes. So, why not? What was he waiting for? Drawing on his courage, he looked across the room where she was talking with Jason Tiner's wife, it was now or never he thought. Getting up and crossing the room, Harm got down on one knee in front of Jen.

Seeing what he was doing, she gave him her full attention. Jen had been hoping that Harm was getting ready to propose. She had been giving him every hint that she was ready for him to do so, and it looked like he finally had gotten her clues. She knew, of course, of the way the whole thing with him and Mac had come about all those years ago, that they had decided where to live on the flip of a coin, so when she found a special quarter a few months back she thought it was fate and had been carrying it with her ever since.

"Jen, I love you and I would be the happiest man on earth if you would be my wife. Will you marry me?" Harm asked, simply holding out the ring box he'd taken from his pocket.

Knowing what her answer was going to be, she nonetheless had to have just a bit of her own back for all the wasted years they could have had together. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her 'special' quarter and said, "I think a decision as important as this should be decided on the flip of a coin." Throwing it into the air she added, "Heads, I'll marry you, Tails, I won't!"

Harm knelt, frozen and speechless, not believing what Jen had just done. Everyone there gasped at her cavalier attitude to his sincere proposal, but Harm was watching the coin. It was deja vu all over again. As the coin reached the top of its arc and started down, everyone was watching closely to see the result. When Jen made no move to catch it, Harm reached out just before it hit the floor. Everyone held their breath. Jen looked down and asked, "Well?"

To be continued….


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Opening his hand, he saw that the coin had come up heads! "Its heads!" he announced.

There was a round of cheering, but as he was going to put the coin away so he could put the ring on her finger, Jen stopped him. "I want that quarter back, Harm!" she told him a bit sharply.

"Why? What's so special about this quarter?" Harm asked confused.

"Well…it's a…lucky quarter now…" Jen lied.

Getting suspicious at her obvious lie, he took another look at the coin in his hand. Turning it over he saw that both sides had heads on it! "It was rigged!" he exclaimed.

Grinning at him, she teased, "Well, at least I said 'heads' would be 'yes'…"

"But why go through all this and not just say 'yes'?" he asked, indicating the quarter she was putting back in her pocket.

Shaking her head sadly, she said, "I guess it all goes back to how hurt I was when you and Mac were engaged. I loved you so much I would have given anything to have been in her shoes then and you two were deciding major things with coin flips."

Harriett gently spoke up, "But remember, Jen, if things had turned out differently you wouldn't have had your time with Mike or have the boys."

"That's true," she conceded.

"And I think we're all forgetting something very important here…" AJ interjected. "No matter how she did it, she did say 'yes' to your proposal Harm."

"Yes she did!" he exclaimed, brightening at the reminder. Holding out the ring to her, Harm waited for Jen to give him her hand. When she did, he slid it in place and rose to his feet to take her in his arms. The kiss they shared was tamer than either of them would have liked, but since they were in public, the need for restraint was clear. Jen did get a chance to whisper a promise in his ear before they broke apart that had Harm wanting to leave the party right then.

However, with all their friends present that was not to be. In fact the simple holiday party instead turned into a celebration. Even the teens came up from the basement to find out what all the laughter and cheering was about.

With everyone together it's always a child that will come up with an awkward question. Because Evan had been in the first set of children AJ and Mac had adopted, he'd witnessed the arrival of all the kids that became his brothers and sisters. There was always a question presented to each child, old enough to understand, when they came into the family. They were asked, would they want to keep their own last name or take the Chegwidden name? In his family everyone was now a Chegwidden and he was proud to carry that fine name. Because of that, he wanted to know, "So are Rusty and Buddy going to become Rabbs, or will they stay Robertsez?"

"EVAN!" AJ and Mac were both quick to scold.

But Jen gave his question the serious thought that it should have and said, "I don't really know, Evan. We hadn't talked about that yet. What do you think we should do?"

Glad she was talking to him as if he were an adult, he answered, "Well, Buddy's too young to ask, but Rusty's already in school. You should ask him cuz he'd have to change all that school stuff and learn a new name, even though it starts with the same letter. And so Buddy's not different, you should do the same for him. That's what we did in our family and it worked out great!"

"That's very good advice," Jen told him. "Thank you."

Both AJ and Mac were proud of their son, he had been a bit forward with his question, but had dealt with it in a considerate and thoughtful manner. They had raised him right it seemed.

It was much later than everyone had planned when the party finally broke up, and then there was the problem of getting all the children sorted out and into the proper vehicles to get them home. Bud and Harriett wouldn't have minded them all staying, but with the next day being Christmas morning they were sure each of the children would want to wake in their own beds to see what Santa had brought them. That reminded AJ that he still had to pick up the puppy that Santa was bringing for their kids.

Everyone said their good-byes and promised that they would all get together again soon. Not wanting to leave it with just that and no formal plan. Mac suggested that the next get together be at their new house, a housewarming party. They all said they would be there and the night ended with Merry Christmas wishes for all, and a good night.

THE END


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